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Toss this into the “no duh” pile, but it’s good to get confirmation about Warner Bros’ plans for SDCC.

Speaking to the folks at Collider regarding his upcoming road-trip drama The End of the Tour (which looks promising, by the way), our newest Lex Luthor, Jesse Eisenberg confirmed that he will indeed be at the mega-event in just a few weeks, and he plans to spend a significant amount of time in Hall H:

I’ll be there…I think I’m there for the hour I’m on the stage.

Eisenberg also had further praise for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice screenwriter Chris Terrio, who jumped onto the project after Ben Affleck was cast as Batman and completely rewrote the existing script:

I like what this writer does, this guy Chris Terrio. He wrote this movie we did and I just think he’s so great. He’s such a good writer. I like what he does with characters, I like what he does with wordplay and cleverness. I like anything he writes.

I’m certain that given Marvel Studios not appearing in San Diego this year, that the Warner Bros panel will indeed be the talk of the entire Con. Here’s hoping whatever they show, a full trailer seems almost a certainty, gets released online right away and not in some lower quality bootleg form first.

We’re only a few weeks away, it should be a madhouse!

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, for such a massive movie, is surprisingly something we don’t know that much about. We’ve gotten teaser photos, a trailer, and posters; but strangely we’ve yet to actually get a synopsis detailing what’s going to happen on screen.

Until today that is, per Collider just ahead of this year’s Licensing Expo:

Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs.  And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.   

I guess Zod and his fellow Kryptonians invading and tearing up a huge hole in Metropolis was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the danger that the DC Universe is about to face. There have been rumors about what this will entail, but I’m not going to relay them here for fear of spoiling something. I’m sure Jesse Eisenberg‘s Lex Luthor will probably be at the center of it.

Though I can’t help but wonder: where does Gal Gadot‘s Wonder Woman fit into all of this? Or how about the expected appearances of Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg? Quick cameos at best for the latter three?

I remain intrigued, mainly due to the fact that I have no idea what to really expect out of Oscar-winner Chris Terrio‘s take on the DC universe and what Zack Snyder will produce without the Christopher Nolan-factor.

T-minus 9 months (and some change) and counting. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice releases on March 26, 2016.

At this point, movie-wise, I imagine no one wants to talk anything but Age of Ultron, but there’s been a few fun developments worth noting over the past 12 hours or so:

– Umberto Gonzalez, having moved on from Latino-Review, is now running his big movie scoops on his Instagram, which I highly suggest you follow, provided Instagram is your thing. His latest post is a look at the design of the new Batwing from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:

RT! #EXCLUSIVE! #AskElMayimbe Your first detailed look at the #BATWING from #BatmanvSuperman! That’s the logo from my new outlet watermaked on bottom right. For now we’re just a symbol. “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol…as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting.” #Batman #HH #dccu #dccomics #dc #dcmovie

A photo posted by Umberto Gonzalez (@umbertogonzalez) on Apr 30, 2015 at 7:06pm PDT

I have to say, I’m a much bigger fan of this design than the one that appeared in The Dark Knight Rises.

– To be honest with you, I need a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie like I need a hole in my head, but I’m certain there are a great number of you that are excited about the sequel to last year’s offering. The one character in the franchise I’m still somewhat interested in is Casey Jones, who was always my favorite as a kid. Here’s a set photo of Arrow star Stephen Amell in his getup for the role:

The film has also cast Laura Linney in an undisclosed role.

– For those excited about this summer’s big return to Michael Crichton’s dinosaur paradise, here’s a new featurette for Jurassic World:

– And just in case you wanted a quick update on Spider-Man casting, here’s Devin Faraci from Badass Digest:   

The final two contenders for Spider-Man are Asa Butterfield and Tom Holland, I am hearing. It was down to 2 last week.

— Devin Faraci (@devincf) May 1, 2015

Something is surely a brewing very soon! We’ll have it here as our new Peter Parker is announced! Have a great weekend all!

Last night, Zack Snyder unleashed the latest marketing volley in the growing behemoth that is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by tweeting out the posters that will likely adorn theater walls this year in promotion of the 2016 effort.

In short? They’re surprisingly well done. Unlike most movie posters which go the boring floating head route, or crowd characters into every possible inch of the landscape, this actually takes a bit of a pop art edge and displays a modicum of creativity.

So, bravo marketing team at Warners! You win this round for sure.

And as predicted, the official teaser for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has dropped via Zack Snyder‘s twitter feed:

#BatmanvSuperman#NotBlurry#NotPiratedhttps://t.co/6twr1oFBvr

— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) April 17, 2015

What do you think? Sound off below, and have a great weekend!

Mad Max: Fury Road is right around the corner and based on the below trailer (that Heidi so kindly posted about previously), it looks like George Miller may very well prove that you can actually go home again:

But if that doesn’t convince you, here are three more reasons why you should plunk down money for a ticket to see this fourth film featuring everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic road warrior:

1.) It’s co-written by Brendan McCarthy

Yep, that Brendan McCarthy, the artist and co-creator of comics like Zaucer of Zilk, Rogan Gosh, and Skin. Given that he and Peter Milligan‘s wonderful comic Freakwave was inspired by Miller’s Mad Max 2, it’s fitting that the two creators would eventually collaborate in this way. Additionally, McCarthy designed a number of the characters and vehicles that will feature in the new film.

2.) The first trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will premiere before it

Though you’ll probably see it here first, given how trailers pop up online before they make it to the big screen, it’s been confirmed that our first REAL look at what Zack Snyder and co. have been up to in a project that’s been rather shrouded in secrecy, beyond the official cast photos we’ve seen. Additionally, Junkie XL (who scored Mad Max: Fury Road) and Hans Zimmer have written new music for the trailer, as a bit of a preview for their scoring collaboration in the Man of Steel sequel.

3.) Tom Hardy is already signed up for three sequels

In a recent interview with Esquire, the new Mad Max, Tom Hardy, stated that he’s already contracted for three more films in the series provided it does well enough at the box office to warrant further desert adventures. Apparently, Miller already had plans in place to shoot the sequel to Fury Road, entitled Mad Max: Furiosa back to back with the about to be released film. That didn’t end up happening, but a screenplay is already in place. Who wouldn’t want more George Miller madness gracing our cinemas every few years?

Mad Max: Fury Road opens on May 15th and much like Snowpiercer and Dredd before it, it may very well be the action movie that we’re all still talking about months from now.

Via Entertainment Weekly, here’s your first look at Jesse Eisenberg with a clean shaven dome for his role as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Director Zack Snyder shared a few words on Eisenberg in the role:

He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure, other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course. Our Lex is disarming and he’s not fake. He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind. If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.

More importantly, this tips me off to the idea that we’ll be seeing a trailer very soon, as they had been keeping Eisenberg’s head under wraps (literally) for months. Now that this cat is out of the bag, those WonderCon trailer debut rumors don’t seem so unfounded.

It’s the start of another week, here’s your collection of headlines that are making some waves today:

– There was never any doubt that Jennifer Lawrence‘s future with the X-Men franchise was on borrowed time; she’s one of the world’s biggest movie stars in a part that thus far has been pretty thankless. The same could probably be said for Michael Fassbender and some of her other cast-mates, many of whom also see their contracts with Fox end after X-Men: Apocalypse. But it’s Lawrence who has made it clear that this third outing will be her last when speaking with MTV News.

Given that the attention of the franchise is shifting away from the core four of X-Men: First Class (Mystique, Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Beast) and onto the recently cast Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Nightcrawler, Apocalypse looks to be a fairly graceful close out for the previous era.

– Gal Gadot, upon being cast as Wonder Woman in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, received a ton of unfair (and in some cases, disgusting) criticism from some segments of the online community related to her body type and physical attributes. In a recent interview translated by RobotUnderdog, Gadot addressed some of this discussion:

They said that I was too skinny and my boobs were too small. [Laughs] I’m really lucky nothing in my life was instantaneous. When I was younger I would take criticism really hard. But now it mostly amused me. The true Amazons had one boob so it won’t bother them in their archery. So it’s not going to be like real Amazons. We always try to make everyone happy but we can’t.

She also went on to describe her excitement in playing the first big screen portrayal of Diana:

Playing Wonder Women is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can’t describe to you how much I wanted to play this character without even knowing I wanted to play her. I met a lot of people from the industry in LA for meetings. They always asked me ‘what’s your dream role?’, and I never could define it. I always answered that I wanted to play a women that is strong and will be a source for women empowerment. I don’t want to play a damsel in distress that needs to be saved. I don’t like it when women in the movies are shown as the victims. I always thought that if I could send out a massage I want to show the strong side of a woman and how she can handle tough situations. Yes, I get to play the strongest most empowering woman ever – Wonder Woman. I’m so grateful and I thank god every day. I want to devour it and enjoy every bite. She has unbelievable endurance. She is exceptionally strong. she can jump really high and practically fly. She know tons of martial arts styles. She is a strong and serious Woman.

– Toss this last one into the rumor pile for now, but Badass Digest is reporting that Marvel secretly auditioned 16 year old Weeds‘ actor Mateus Ward for the role of Peter Parker. If true, it means Marvel is indeed going very young for the role and are clearly trying to recast Peter Parker rather than aiming for Miles Morales as some might have hoped. With shooting for Captain America: Civil War only about a week away, if Spider-Man is going to make some kind of appearance be it a cameo or something more substantial, they’ll need to get this role squared away fairly quickly.

Between some casting news and a few choice interviews, it was a busier 24 hours than most in the entertainment news cycle. Here are the headlines of interest for the weekend:

– CBS’ Supergirl added a few Superman franchise vets yesterday as both Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Helen Slater (Supergirl, the movie) have signed on for the series. It isn’t the first time these two have re-joined the DC Universe, both appeared in Smallville at different times: Cain as a Vandal Savage-like immortal scientist, and Slater as Lara-El. Their roles are being kept under wraps this time around.

– FOX’s Lucifer has found its lead as well, as British thespian Tom Ellis (Rush, Miranda) will be playing the former Lord of Hell who now helps the LAPD punish criminals.

– On the Avengers: Age of Ultron side of things, we have some new character posters promoting the film including The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Nick Fury:

– Collider also has a great interview with Chris Hemsworth that’s worth a look at if you’re curious where Marvel may be taking Thor specifically. There’s one bit of exchange I found interesting, where Hemsworth slightly hints at why Thor: The Dark World wasn’t as necessarily successful as the first Thor:

What’s something Thor gets to do in this film that he hasn’t done before in the other fims?

HEMSWORTH: He’s loosened up a bit. I think we lost some of the humor and the naïveté, that sort of fish out of water quality of Thor from the first film into the second one. There were things I loved about what we did in the second one too, tonally, but that sense of fun… I would have liked it to be there a bit more, and Joss I think felt the same way.  So there’s more humor in Thor or at least because he’s been on Earth, he’s a little more accessible now.  He’s off Asgard now so he doesn’t have to be as regal and kingly as he is in that world, which is nice. I enjoy that more.  It’s sort of a box, which is tough to step out of on Asgard.  You know, that stuff just looks out of place whereas here, he can have a gag with the guys and he can throw away lines and be a party scene with them in civilian clothes, which is nice.

– Speaking of regal superheroes, Jason Momoa chatted briefly with EW while promoting Sundance TV’s The Red Road, and of course Aquaman came up. At one point he compares his DCU experience with that of Conan The Barbarian:

The whole mythology of Aquaman is pretty amazing. There’s so many things to tell, and there’s a whole backstory that’s just amazing. There’s a lot of surprises coming. I think, yeah, he’s been cast aside. But, um [laughs] times are going to change now, buddy. Conan was really hard, because you have 15 different types of fans and so many things to respect and honor. To do it right it’s got to be bloody-bloody-bloody-bloody-bloody, and not a lot of people go see that anymore. It’s not the ’80s anymore. It’s a really hard format. We busted ass, but there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen on that one. What’s great about this is Zack, man. We don’t want to just reinvent it, but he’s a got a whole idea of what Aquaman should be and I’m really honored to be playing it. I’m excited for the world to see it.

He also more or less confirmed that Aquaman’s role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is fairly small and filming for Justice League has not begun yet.

Upcoming Aquaman star Jason Momoa, who will be making his debut as the character in next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, fielded a few related questions during a panel at the Sundance Film Festival.

While you can listen to the full audio of the panel, here are the relevant bits pertaining to his role as Orin:

On the subject of meeting Zack Snyder regarding the role and having to lie about his involvement:

Well, things are going to be a little different. When I first went in I met with Zack (Snyder). His idea is pretty amazing. When I went in, he told me – my jaw kind of dropped. My jaw doesn’t normally drop. What he has planned for the DC world and definitely for Aquaman is something that, you know – I think I was brought on for a certain reason and they got some really cool plans for him. I’m really excited for everyone to see it.

Last year, when I was on this panel I was like eating chicken breasts and in training when I wasn’t supposed to talk about anything. I wasn’t supposed to say anything until 2016. So I told a bunch of people that they could punch me in the face if I was on it, so I’m going to get hit a couple times. But they finally released it. I was supposed to keep it a secret for 3 years.

When a 78 year old, long-time Aquaman fan asks him about Aquaman’s appearance in the new films:

Well, just going off what you’ve seen so far ma’am, I don’t think he is going to be blonde or white. I can’t really tell you because I haven’t shot it yet. I hate to disappoint. But um, you know, I’m a little different than what those others… I hope you watch it with an open heart.

POSSIBLE SPOILER…

At one point in the panel, the moderator points out that Michael Shannon was seen at Sundance wearing an Aquaman shirt, and directly asks Momoa regarding the rumored involvement of the actor in Batman v Superman. Momoa responded with silence and a dodge, pointing out how important the Aquaman role was to him and his Polynesian roots.

Regardless of rumors, it looks like we’ll have a dark haired/Conan-esque Aquaman, likely in the Peter David mold. I’m into it, but your mileage may vary.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016. Aquaman is scheduled to release on July 27, 2018.

It’s funny how little we know about the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed by Zack Snyder, which arrives in theaters on March 26, 2016. We know who is in it, we know there have been reports that the mass destruction in Metropolis from the previous film will play a part in the story, and lastly we have a list of films that will spin-out of the events of this forthcoming feature.

That’s more or less it, we don’t even really have a plot summary yet.

We may learn a bit more soon, as Latino Review (usually a pretty good source for superhero movie “scoops”) is reporting, via Twitter, that the first trailer for Batman v Superman will be released in front of the upcoming film by the Wachowskis’ Jupiter Ascending, which opens on February 6th.

We’ll still more than a year away from the release of this major DC movie tentpole, but Snyder and company wrapped shooting about a month ago, so it’s likely there’s some footage ready that goes a good deal deeper than the brief clip that was prepared for last year’s San Diego Comic Con (which basically amounted to Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill staring at one another, but admittedly in a pretty cool way).

Say what you will about Man of Steel and the rest of Snyder’s oeuvre, the man (or WB’s marketing team) knows how to cut a pretty great trailer. Given some of the negative buzz that’s surrounded Jupiter Ascending‘s pushback from last July to this February, typically no man’s land for cinema, having this trailer attached to it will likely give it a decent audience boost…provided it doesn’t show up online first.