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Tag: Warner Bros

  • Superman Legal Battle Victor Warner Bros. Helped By Winklevoss Twins’ Case Against Facebook

    Warner Bros., which owns DC Comics, has won complete control over the Superman copyright after a long legal battle. The win came on Thursday from a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Interestingly, Warner Bros. may have the Winklevoss Twins to thank, indirectly.

    Back in 2008, heirs of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of the character, were granted Superman’s copyright, but Warner Bros. appealed, because the company said they reached an agreement with said heirs seven years earlier. The heirs, however claimed that the deal was never finalized.

    Comics culture site The Beat ran an article back in March from attorney Jeff Trexler, who discussed the Facebook/Winklevoss aspect fo this case:

    Here DC’s legal team rips a virtual page from the playbook used by Facebook in defending itself against the Winklevoss twins, who claimed that Mark Zuckerberg had stolen their online platform. In the Facebook case, the Winklevoss twins repudiated a summary agreement of terms before a long-form agreement was finalized. The Ninth Circuit, however, ruled that the summary term sheet was enforceable, thereby bringing this lengthy litigation to an end.

    Directly citing the Ninth Circuit’s reasoning in the Facebook case, DC begins its brief by asking the court to enforce the settlement term sheet agreed upon by DC and the Siegels before Marc Toberoff and Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel persuaded the heirs to fire their original lawyer. If the one-page term sheet in the Facebook case was enforceable, DC argues, surely the six-page term sheet in the Siegel case was a sufficient expression of the agreed-upon material terms. Time Warner also echoes the language of the court’s ruling — for example, TW’s assertion that “This long-running dispute should be brought to an end” is a direct callback to the conclusion of the Ninth Circuit’s Facebook opinion: “At some point, litigation must come to an end.”

    In a new post (hat tip to AllFacebook), Trexler writes:

    Yes. As I discussed at greater length in this post, DC relied on the Facebook/Winklevoss twins case to argue that the term sheet in the Siegel – DC negotiations was binding. The court agreed–the crux of the judges’ Siegel ruling today is a discussion of the Facebook ruling and how it applies to the Siegel term sheet.

    Trexler also told Wired, “It’s entirely possible that the court would have reached the same outcome without the Facebook ruling… Facebook made it practically inevitable.”

    The Hollywood reporter has posted the full decision here.

  • LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Game Announced

    LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Game Announced

    LEGO Batman 2 marked a turning point for the LEGO video games. It featured open-world gameplay and fully-voiced super hero characters. Now, it appears DC super heroes won’t be the only ones to get the LEGO treatment.

    Warner Bros., Marvel, TT Games and LEGO today announced that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will be coming out this fall for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and PC. It will be the first time Marvel super heroes have been depicted in LEGO video games.

    “We’re very excited to bring a myriad of classic Marvel characters to life in LEGO form for some fun, family-friendly gameplay in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes,” said Tom Stone, managing director, of TT Games. “Players will brave the ultimate mission to save the world as they explore famous landmarks in LEGO New York and take the adventure beyond Earth to iconic locations in the Marvel Universe.”

    Not much about the story has been revealed, but Marvel did tease that the “original storyline” will feature Nick Fury as he “calls upon Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and other heroes spanning the Marvel Universe to save Earth from such threats as the vengeance of Loki and the hunger of Galactus, Devourer of the Worlds.”

    “Fans of both LEGO and Marvel have wanted this game for years, and we’re addressing that demand with more Marvel Universe characters than ever in a console game,” said TQ Jefferson, vice president of Games Production at Marvel. “If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy or scores of other Marvel characters, this is the game for you.”

    Over 100 different characters from Marvel comics will be playable in the game, including Deadpool.

  • Netflix Grabs Warner Bros Television Dramas on the Heels of HBO/Universal Deal

    Netflix Grabs Warner Bros Television Dramas on the Heels of HBO/Universal Deal

    In more content acquisition news for your Monday, Netflix has just announced an exclusive deal for the streaming rights to eight Warner Bros Television Group dramas.

    The deal allows for the shows to be shown via “traditional syndication windows and electronic sell-through services,” but Netflix will be the only online service to provide the content.

    Among the eight Warner Bros Television Group shows that Netflix is snatching up is the J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions drama Revolution (NBC). Also, USA’s Political Animals starring Sigoruney Weaver and ABC’s 666 Park Avenue. The upcoming FOX drama The Following starring Kevin Bacon will come to Netflix as well.

    “This unprecedented agreement brings to Netflix members earlier and more exclusively than ever before complete previous seasons of some of the most prominent and successful shows on network and cable television,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “Through deals like this, Netflix is making the production economics right for the continued creation of the kind of compelling serialized dramas and thrillers that our members love.”

    “SVOD has become an important window for our serialized dramas, allowing viewers a chance to discover a series that before might have been intimidating to tune into mid-run,” said Bruce Rosenblum, President, Warner Bros. Television Group. “We continue to adapt our business models to include SVOD when it makes sense for the long-term value of each show and are thrilled to have Netflix as one of our distribution partners.”

    This announcement comes just one day after HBO and Universal announced an exclusive partnership that saw the companies extend their content relationship for another decade. Just one month ago, Netflix inked an exclusive deal with Disney Films to show content inside the pay TV window.

    With these moves, the battle between online streaming services and pay-TV services proves to be in full swing.

  • LEGO Announces New Free-to-Play Online Game

    LEGO and Warner Bros. today announced a series of new video games based on the Kingdom of Chima LEGO sets. The series will include games for mobile platforms, the Nintendo 3DS, and a “massive” free-to-play online game.

    “We are doing something innovative with LEGO Legends of Chima by making three distinct videogame experiences on a variety of platforms,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President for Production and Development at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “By creating multiple LEGO videogame experiences for one brand, we are catering to today’s diverse gaming community, as well as establish a rewards system for players of all three games.”

    The highlight of the announcement is LEGO Legends of Chima Online, a free-to-play online title that LEGO states will “provide kids with a safe and incredibly immersive connected game experience. Players will be able to customize their own “kingdom” within the game and explore “massive environments” while completing quests and finding loot.

    It’s unclear whether the title will be a true MMO, and LEGO’s intention to make the game safe for children suggests the game will limit player interaction in some way. LEGO’s previous MMO, LEGO Universe, was closed down almost one year ago due to low subscription numbers.

    Other game titles in the Chima series include LEGO Legends of Chima: Speedorz and LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey. Speedorz is a racing mini-game that will be released on the LEGO website sometime today, and on iOS platforms tomorrow. Laval’s Journey is handheld game that will be released for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita sometime in the summer of 2013.

  • Arkham City Armored Edition Catwoman Revealed

    Today Warner Bros and DC released the first look at the new armored suit that Catwoman will wear in Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition. The suit is part of the Battle Armoured Tech (B.A.T.) mode included with the Wii U version of the game. Batman will also be getting a B.A.T. suit. Warner Bros has stated that the suits will allow players to build “kinetic energy” during combat, and then activate B.A.T. mode to raise their damage output.

    While these B.A.T. suits sound like a nice addition for Nintendo fans who may have missed Arkham City when it was released for other consoles, I can’t help but think there may be another reason for the new look. Catwoman’s new B.A.T. suit covers her entire body, similar to the Catwoman revealed recently for Injustice: Gods Among Us. This summer’s blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises, also did a thorough job of covering Anne Hathaway’s body , even making her less of an overtly sexual character than Julie Newmar’s Catwoman. In the original version of Arkham City, however, Catwoman has incredibly unrealistic cleavage and wears her suit unzipped practically to her navel. It is possible that with the B.A.T suits Warner Bros and DC are responding to the charges of sexism that were thrown their way when Arkham City was released last fall.

    Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition will be released for the Wii U sometime this winter. It will feature all of the content from the original Arkham City and include all available downloadable content (DLC) for the game. The Wii U GamePad will be used to give players instant access to their Batcomputer to select objectives, choose gadgets, and upgrade their character.

  • Gangster Squad Scene Removed in the Wake of Colorado Shooting

    “Gangster Squad’ scene depicting a group of gun-totting criminals bursting into a theater and shooting movie-goers has been removed from the version scheduled to arrive this fall. Director Ruben Fleischer’s period drama, which stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin, explores “LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.” To replace the missing footage, Warner Bros. is ordering reshoots.

    The scene in question is also shown in the trailer for the flick, which has been pulled following the events at an Aurora, Colorado showing of the “The Dark Knight Rises”. According to Variety, a few additional changes will be made to the film before its theatrical bow, though it’s unclear whether or not the film will be delayed from its September 7th release date.

    MTV is reporting that several television networks are pulling episodes from popular programs that may bear a striking resemblance to last week’s massacre. Although some critics on Twitter are complaining about such behavior, it is, perhaps, a little too soon for some people to see this sort of violence depicted on-screen. Honestly, it’s probably the right thing to do, though it sucks that someone’s vision has to be altered thanks to the actions of one lunatic.

    If you’re at all interested in reading what people think of the changes being made to “Gangster Squad”, check out some of the Twitter reactions embedded below. And while I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of things people are saying on the subject, I do understand how these sort of changes can rub some folks the wrong way.

  • Box Office Results on Hold Following Colorado Shooting

    Box office results are being put on hold for the moment following the tragic shooting at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado, a decision supported by the majority of Hollywood studios. Monday mornings are usually when movie-crazed individuals such as myself ravenously pour over figures in an attempt to see which motion picture dominated ticket sales over the weekend. However, given the events surrounding Christopher Nolan’s superhero epic, worrying about money seems a bit trivial at this point in time.

    The Associated Press reports that Sony, Fox, Disney, Universal, Fox, and Lionsgate have all joined Warner Bros. in keeping last weekend’s box office results from the public eye out of respect for the victims of the Colorado shooting. Although executives at Paramount have not said whether they intend to do the same, one can only imagine the backlash the company would receive if it decided to reveal totals when everyone else is choosing to remain silent.

    Of course, the decision to officially withhold the results hasn’t stopped others from speculating about the amount of money “The Dark Knight Rises” brought in over the past three days. Trade publications such as Variety and Hollywood Reporter stated Nolan’s trilogy-ending entry brought in anywhere from $75 million and $77 million on Friday alone. Midnight screenings across the country reportedly brought in $30.6 million. Analysts believe the flick could give be on track to overpower Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” as the highest-grossing film of the summer.

    The shooting in Aurora has impacted movie fans across the globe. In addition to canceling the film’s premiere in Paris, Warner Bros. decided to cancel Batman-related events in Mexico City and Tokyo. Additionally, the studio has opted to remove the trailer for the Ryan Gosling action flick “Gangster Squad” from theaters due to the gun-related violence contained within the clip.

    Box office results are expected to be released later in the day.

  • Amazon Gets First Dibs On Streaming Fringe And The West Wing

    Amazon is emerging as a major powerhouse in the video streaming business. Amazon Prime Instant Video is expanding at a faster rate than Netflix did in its early years and just scored a major deal with Warner Bros. for their television content.

    Amazon announced today that they have entered into an agreement that will bring Warner Bros. television content to Amazon Prime Instant Video including popular shows like The West Wing and Fringe. Other shows include Dark Blue, Alcatraz and The Whole Truth.

    “Since launching Prime Instant Video, we’ve continued to expand both the quantity and quality of video content for our Prime members,” said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon. “Bringing Fringe and The West Wing – two shows with a devoted fan base – to Prime Instant Video first, is another way for us to add value for Prime members and to continue to give customers content they love.”

    Fringe and The West Wing will be exclusive to Amazon Prime Instant Video for the summer. The shows should show up on other services like Netflix in the fall. Still, it’s a pretty big win for Amazon. Convincing people to fork over $79 for a year of Amazon Prime is pretty difficult, but adding exclusive content makes it far more enticing.

    People who want to catch up on Fringe or The West Wing can watch them on the PC, Kindle Fire, Xbox 360, PS3 and Roku. Amazon will probably be adding streaming apps to other devices over time. We’ll probably even see Amazon Prime Instant Video show up on or near the launch of the Wii U this fall.

  • LEGO Lord of the Rings Trailer: YOU SHALL NOT PASS

    Last month, a premature listing on a UK retailer’s website and the announcement of a line of themed toys tipped us to the fact that a Lego Lord of the Rings game was in the pipeline. We expected the unveiling to take place some time around E3 – and it appears that has come to pass.

    Today, game was confirmed with the launch of the first trailer – and I must say it looks great.

    Of course, fans of the previous Lego games and fans of Tolkein or the epic film trilogy already knew that we had a winner on our hands. We’ve already seen what developer Traveller’s Tales can do with epic storylines – their Lego Harry Potter games were a load of fun. The Lord of the Rings provides another (possibly more) intense and thorough journey that will surely fit the sometimes comical, laid back tone of the Lego franchise quite well.

    Ok, I’m probably a little too excited about this. But check out the trailer and maybe you’ll be just as thrilled as I am:

    I’m sure you noticed that our little Lego version of Gandalf and Frodo have been given dialogue straight from the films – something new to the Lego series. Other than that, we can expect the same cooperative play and puzzle solving that has made the previous Lego games such big hits:

    LEGO The Lord of the Rings is based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and follows the original storylines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Now the entire family can team up in pairs as adorable LEGO The Lord the Rings minifigures to experience countless dangers, solve riddles and battle formidable foes on their journey to Mount Doom.

    “We are huge aficionados of The Lord of the Rings franchise and are incredibly excited to put our special LEGO family-friendly touch on this classic fantasy adventure,” said Tom Stone, managing director, TT Games. “We’ve taken what fans are familiar with and love about The Lord of the Rings films and combined it with the playful LEGO style, which makes the story and gameplay accessible to gamers of all ages.”

    The game will hit shelves this fall, and hopefully we’ll see more at E3 next week.

  • Guardians of Middle Earth Trailer Revealed

    The E3 teasers just keep coming. It’s hard to follow the news of LucasArts’ new game, Star War 1313, but Warner Bros. is trying its best and has released a trailer for Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle Earth. The trailer doesn’t show off any gameplay, unfortunately. In fact, the trailer doesn’t seem to be anything other than eye-candy wrapped in Lord of the Rings fan fiction. Take a look at the action-packed trailer below and see for yourself what I mean.

    Before you watch the trailer, though, there are some things you should know about the game. Warner Bros. announced the game yesterday, stating that it is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. This means the game will play much like the popular Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) games. Players will take on the role of a “guardian” from the Lord of the Rings universe and battle against opponents over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Gandalf, Sauron, and Gollum are some of the “guardians” that players can embody, and the trailer makes it look as if Galadriel will be among the ranks as well.

    Now, this isn’t the most tactful use of the Lord of the Rings IP, and the YouTube comments accompanying the video are vicious. However, most of the commenters don’t seem to realize that the game is a DOTA-like multiplayer game, and are simply berating the trailer for breaking Lord of the Rings continuity. YouTube user KevRocky reviews the trailer on its own merits, though, and correctly points out the problem with nearly all cinematic game trailers:

    Am I the only one who yawned at this trailer? It’s full of Michael Bayism. No heart, no soul, just a bunch of cgi dudes smashing each other’s heads in with pretty effects, that would have been acceptable if they didn’t overuse the slowdowns. It’s as if they had to stretch out the time. Terrible.

    Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle-Earth will be released this fall, with several “guardians” to be released in conjunction with The Hobbit film.

  • A Lego Lord of the Rings Game is in the Pipeline

    In this-makes-me-more-excited-than-it-probably-should news, it looks like The Lord of the Rings movie franchise is getting its own Lego game.

    You know the Lego games, right? Those charming little quests from developer Traveller’s Tales that use classic stories and films as their backdrop and Legos as their design inspiration. In the past, we’ve seen Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, and even Lego Harry Potter (my personal favorite of the bunch).

    But it’s probably safe to say that Lego Lord of the Rings would be the most epic of the lot.

    According to MCV, it’s an upcoming line of Lord of the Rings-themed Lego toys that tipped us off to the upcoming game. Apparently, toy reviewers that received version of the toy set have found promotional packing that included mentions of the new game. According to those promos, Warner Bros will release the game later in 2012.

    MCV suggest that the unveiling will take place on or around E3.

    GameSpot stumbled upon a UK retailer called ShopTo’s product page featuring the upcoming title. According to that, the game will hit shelves on October 26th. ShopTo has since pulled the listing, but you can check it out via Google cache. The listing doesn’t provide any additional info other than the release date (the box art is a mock-up placeholder).

    Being a guy that usually opts for the Skyrim, Battlefield, and Madden types of games, I must say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every Lego game that I’ve played. The Lord of the Rings Lego game should be no exception.

    Of course, a new Lego toy set and video game isn’t the only big thing happening in the Tolkien realm this year. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to hit theaters on December 14th. And you know I can’t resist another excuse to embed this trailer…

    [Lead Image courtesy Lego.com]

  • Batman: Arkham City GOTY Edition Launches May 29

    It’s common practice to release game of the year editions of last year’s biggest blockbusters. It’s usually an excuse to repackage the game with some DLC and sell it again for the $60 premium that makes the publisher more money. I personally don’t think many games deserve that kind of treatment, but I’m willing to make an exception for Batman: Arkham City.

    Warner Bros. Entertainment announced today that Batman: Arkham City will have its own GOTY edition released on May 29. It will come with all the of the previously released DLC including the Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing challenge packs. It will also have all of the awesome character skins that were released for Batman including my personal favorite, the Batman: The Animated Series costume.

    On top of this package, the GOTY edition will also come with a new single-player expansion pack called Harley Quinn’s Revenge that pits Batman and Robin against the best lady villain in comics and gaming. Warner Bros. says the expansion has over two hours of new content and it will tie up all the loose ends that were left after the end of Arkham City.

    Here’s the full breakdown of all the content included in the GOTY edition:

    Maps: Wayne Manor, Main Hall, Freight Train, Black Mask, The Joker’s Carnival, Iceberg Long, and Batcave

    Playable Characters: Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing

    Skins: 1970s Batsuit, Year One Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, Earth One Batman, Batman Beyond Batman, Animated Batman, Sinestro Corps Batman, Long Halloween Catwoman, Animated Catwoman, Animated Robin, Red Robin and Animated Nightwing

    If you, like me, already own the fantastic Batman simulator that is Arkham City, the Harley Quinn DLC will be available on May 29 on PSN and May 30 on Xbox Live according to Sarah Wellock, Rocksteady Studio’s Community Manager. She also revealed that the standalone pack will cost $10.

    Batman: Arkam City GOTY Edition will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 29. Wellock confirmed that a PC version is in the works with details forthcoming.

    Check out the trailer below to get your first look at Harley Quinn’s Revenge. Just seeing it makes me want to go reinstall Arkham City for a fresh run before it comes out.

  • Universal, Redbox Make Deal To Maintain 28-Day DVD Window

    Looking to avoid winding up in a situation similar to the one between Warner Bros. and Redbox, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has inked out a new deal with Redbox that will have the rental company continue to sell its films with the current 28-day waiting period.

    Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Redbox, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc, announced the signing of a multi-year agreement that will continue to make Universal Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles available for rental at Redbox locations nationwide 28 days following their home entertainment release.

    That agreement will last all the way to August 2014.

    As I mentioned before, this Universal deal comes on the heels of some strained negotiations between Warner Bros. and Redbox. In January, Warner Bros. doubled the window of new releases on DVD. That long-accepted 28 days jumped to and an absolutely ridiculous 56 days. This affected not only Redbox, but Netflix as well. Warner Bros then extended the lunacy by suggesting that Netflix impose a 28-day waiting period on its subscribers before they can even add new releases to their queues.

    Earlier this month, we found out that Redbox planned to defy Warner Bros’ new rental delay. Redbox is currently purchasing Warner Bros. DVDs from retailers, a move that is definitely not as cost effective.

    “The multi-year agreement between Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Redbox represents a win for consumers, Universal and Redbox,” said Galen Smith, senior vice president, Redbox. “Redbox is committed to forging relationships that provide our consumers with affordable and timely access to new release content.”

    Although some might argue that 28 days is still pretty far away from “timely,” it’s much better than 56. Hollywood’s plan to throw any obstacle they can in front of low-cost viewing runs on the idea that people wil get fed up with waiting and go buy the full price DVD or rent it off cable on-demand. Then again, instead of prompting people to run out and buy the DVD, these kinds of moves are just as likely to prompt people to snatch up the film through other, cheaper means.

  • Rome Sweet Rome, A Story From A Reddit Thread, To Become Feature Film

    Rome Sweet Rome, A Story From A Reddit Thread, To Become Feature Film

    Who said internet comment threads are a waste of time? Apparently, if you’re creative enough, your musings can become the basis for a major motion picture.

    Warner Bros. has purchased the rights to “Rome Sweet Rome,” a story about U.S. Marines fighting in the time of ancient Rome. The concept was developed from a series of comments pulled from the /r/ AskReddit subreddit.

    About a month ago, a question appeared on the subreddit that read “Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion of MEU?” The AskReddit subreddit is a place on the site where users pose questions of all types to fellow Redditors, and discussion ensues.

    One user, Prufrock451 posted a comment that was quickly upvoted to the top. The comment was a 5-paragraph beginning of a story. Prufrock451 continued to post installations of his story – titled “Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 etc.” The story, an exercise in flash fiction, became wildly popular on Reddit.

    Here’s a snippet from Day 2:

    Meanwhile, the mysterious appearance of the Marines has not gone unnoticed. Peasants have fled to the home of the land’s owner, Senator Aulus Terentius Varro Murena. It is 23 BC, and Murena is about to form a Republican conspiracy against Augustus Caesar. He and other Senators are deeply suspicious of the Imperator and fear that he will swamp their ancient order with newly minted Senators from his swelling armies. The appearance of a small but apparently competent armed force – with a vast array of what appears to be bizarre siege machinery – on his land makes him fear the worst. He dispatches several spies to monitor the visitors and orders his retainers to avoid the camp. He also sends messengers to his co-conspirators in the Senate.

    Redditors posted their own tidbits to the story, made fan-art and even made trailer mashups for the hypothetical film. It eventually received its own subreddit at /r/RomeSweetRome.

    [Poster mockup by user stabyourface]

    And now it’s going to be a movie.

    Prufrock451 turns out to be James Erwin, a writer and former Jeopardy champion. According to Variety an exec from Madhouse Entertainment contacted Erwin when he saw “Rome Sweet Rome” gaining steam on Reddit. They began working to develop the concept and after it was completed they pitched it the Warner Bros. It looks like the pitch went well.

    Erwin tweeted about it this morning –

    @jlerwin
    James Erwin    So just to reiterate – dude, I sold a screenplay to Warner Brothers. 15 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @jlerwin
    James Erwin    @kn0thing Internet high-five! THWAP 4 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Flash fiction is a growing form of literature these days, but this is definitely a first for something like this. Will you line up to see the film? Let us know in the comments.

  • Netflix, CW Partner To Stream Gossip Girl, Supernatural

    Let the Netflix bashing subside for a moment – it looks like they will be adding a bunch of popular streaming content to their catalog.

    They have announced a long-term deal with CBS and Warner Bros. to stream CW scripted series – that includes the hit shows The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210, Supernatural, Nikita, One Tree Hill. The deal also brings new CW shows Ringer, Hart of Dixie and The Secret Circle.

    Previous seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and Nikita will will available right away, on October 15th. Previous seasons of Supernatural and 90210 will hit Netflix in January of 2012. Episodes of series currently airing on the network will be available in the Fall of 2012.

    The deal stretches to the 2014-2015 seasons of the shows. And each new season of each show will be available on Netflix the Fall after it airs.

    Netflix has made two other significant content acquisitions as of late. Last month they made a deal with Discovery Communications to bring in Discovery Channel content like Man vs. Wild and Deadliest Catch. Netflix also announced a deal with DreamWorks studios, the makers of films like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, to stream their content. The only drawback to that news is that it wont be available until 2013.

    Of course, any and all content acquisitions for Netflix’s streaming service is good for the company, as it is still suffering fallout from a series of big announcements – notably the price hike, and the whole Qwikster debacle.

    Luckily, Reed Hastings came to his senses and dropped the whole Qwikster idea, saying that Netflix DVD services and streaming would stay under the same umbrella.

    In Qwikster news, it looks like some internet denizens aren’t going to let the failed idea die. Today’s daily deal on Woot.com is a Lenovo laptop and it features a hilarious write-up comparing the product to Netflix’s Chief Operation Officer Andy Rendich. He was supposed to take over as the top guy at Qwikster.

    But now Qwikster is no more, and the Woot post compares him to all of those who never got their shot –

    Because you’re every kid who was open but didn’t get the ball. You’re every musician who had the chops but couldn’t get airplay. You’re Brando in On The Waterfront, you’re Dave Mustaine, you’re Takeru Kobayashi being dragged away by the cops just before the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. You were there and ready and wanted to go, but someone else took your moment before you could prove yourself.

    Content acquisitions like this can do nothing but help Netflix, but it’s apparent that they are still climbing the hill when it comes to winning back their millions of users.

  • “Aim High” Aims To Personalize Your Viewing Experience

    Warner Bros Studio has created what it calls a new “social series” that takes data from your Facebook graph and throws it into the show you’re watching.

    The show, called “Aim High” will debut on October 18th on Facebook and run for six episodes.

    Here’s what the show’s about, according to the Facebook page –

    Nick Green is a top agent for the US government – effective, clever and deadly. He’s also got a paper on Crime and Punishment due Tuesday, a biology quiz this afternoon and thirty pages on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire to read tonight…because Nick is sixteen years old.

    He likes school, but only when it’s over for the day. There are the girls, of course – especially Amanda, a wickedly cool rocker chick who dates Derek, the captain of school’s championship swim team. Nick wants her anyway.

    So it’s your basic high-school-kid-doubles-as-a-secret-agent fare. What’s the difference? Apparently, the show will be personalized each week to the person watching it. Using your Facebook data, the show will change from user to user.

    For instance, whatever music you like or might have just listened to on Facebook will turn up as the music the characters are listening to in the show. Your photos as well as your friends’ photos will show up on screen – maybe as a poster on someone’s wall or as the subject of a TV broadcast. Basically, your stuff will populate the world of Aim High.

    “You’re detached when you watch a show on FOX or NBC or when you go to the movies. This experience is more intimate,” the producer McG told Reuters.

    You might know McG as the producer behind Chuck, Supernatural and The O.C. The star of the show is Jackson Rathbone, of Twilight fame.

    I’m not sure if the targeted group (women aged 14-34, according to Warner Bros) will jump for this or not. The social aspect is interesting, but can a series thrive on Facebook? What do you think of the idea? Let us know in the comments.

  • The Dark Knight Rises Viral Campaign Heats Up

    Movie marketing strategy is being based more and more on viral content these days. One of the best examples of this is with Christopher Nolan’s revamp of the Batman series. Some new videos have surfaced that may give us a brief look into the upcoming third installment, The Dark Knight Rises.

    The Dark Knight was a landmark in viral marketing. Whysoserious.com gained a lot of attention when it used the scavenger hunt concept to unlock a teaser trailer and a reveal pic of Heath Ledger as the Joker in the film. The viral campaign “I believe in Harvey Dent” was also employed to generate buzz about the inclusion of Two-Face in the film.

    A couple weeks ago, The Dark Knight Rises‘ (TDKR) viral campaign began on Twitter, as the account @thefirerises revealed a picture, pixel by pixel, of TDKR’s new villian, Bane. Pixels were removed, one by one, by tweets containing the hashtag #thefirerises. The photo revealed keeps in line with the mysterious hyper-realism of Nolan’s revamp.

    Now, the campaign has taken another step – this time with YouTube videos. On the YouTube Channel entitled “TheFireRises,” a few short videos have been posted. 419 shows grainy footage of a burning cab car and a burning building. It’s set to some pretty dramatic chanting. Outbreak looks to be footage from inside a prison (or asylum!), with orange jump-suited people with black bags over their heads. The video closes with a first person view of vehicle weaving through traffic on an underpass. GCN is the most telling, showing Gotham Cable News reporter Mike Engel (Anthony Michael Hall) reporting on an “Arkham Breakout.”

    The final video, GCN, links at the end to a Facebook page for The Fire Rises. On this page, we find a picture of Matthew Modine with the name “Nixon” behind him. Modine is signed on to TDKR, and it is rumored that he will play a politician named Nixon.

    Is this all clever marketing by the folks at Warner Bros? Have some overzealous and dubious fans created these videos, making them seem like they are a part of the film? If so, it’s quite impressive as the videos are pretty damn cool. Entertainment Weekly reached out to Warner Bro for a comment but only got a “no comment at this time” in response.

    Are these legit viral vids, detailing plot points of the upcoming TDKR? Will there be an Arkham breakout? Will Gotham smolder as the trilogy comes to a close? Let us know what you think.

  • Facebook Movie Rental Expands, Thanks to Warner Bros.

    Earlier this month, Warner Bros. started testing movie rentals via Facebook, a move that could end up having a far-reaching impact on the movie rental industry as a whole, as well as for Facebook.

    The test began with the movie studio offering Facebook users the ability to watch the film, The Dark Knight from the Facebook Page for the title. Now, Warner Bros. has expanded the test to include five additional films: Inception, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Life as We Know It, and Yogi Bear.

    “We’re pleased to expand our test with a variety of titles that will appeal to a broad audience,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.  “These titles have substantial followings on Facebook.  The Fan Pages for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Inception’ alone are two of the most popular and active communities on the site.”

    Facebook users can rent a movie by clicking “watch now” from the Faecbook pages of these titles. They will use Facebook Credits to pay. That’s why this could be huge for Facebook.
    If movie rental via Facebook becomes adopted by more movie studios, and users actually go for it, that’s going to be a whole lot of Facebook Credits used, which could translate into consumers getting more accustomed to the payment method in general, as Facebook expands it into other areas, and more third-parties find interesting new ways to harness Facebook.

    It would also mean a great deal more time spent on Facebook by users. This will only serve to make Facebook even more attractive to advertisers.

    As connected TVs and related devices become more widely adopted, Facebook will become just as good a place as any to quickly watch a movie on demand. Users are already spending much of their online time on Facebook as it is. Finding a page for the movie is generally very easy to do, and then there is the added benefit of being able to discuss movies with friends from the same place.

    Some have already written Neflix’s epitaph, but Netflix is smart enough to expand its own offerings into exclusive content.

  • Facebook Movie Rental: The Future Norm?

    You may find yourself doing a lot more than just “liking” a movie on Facebook in the near future. There’s a chance that Facebook could become your go-to movie rental destination. Here’s who should be worried about this: Netflix, Blockbuster, Redbox, Hulu, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, and every other provider of movies online.

    Warner Bros. has become the first Hollywood studio to offer movies directly on Facebook. The studio announced that it will begin testing an offering of selected movies for purchase or rental through its Facebook Page. Users will be able to use Facebook Credits to purchase or rent films while they’re on Facebook.

    “Facebook has become a daily destination for hundreds of millions of people,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts. It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network.”

    The studio has kicked it all off by offering The Dark Knight on the Facebook Page for the movie.

    Like to talk during the movies? There are already entire businesses based on the concept of talking about the video content you’re watching with your friends on social media. If you’re watching a movie on Facebook, this should be easier than ever.

    Of course, besides being incredibly disruptive for the online video and movie industries, this has the potential to be massive for Facebook for a variety of reasons. For one, Facebook credits – getting them more mainstream. Two: much more time spent on Facebook by users – an area where Facebook is hardly lacking as it is. This will only be more attractive to advertisers.

    As connected TVs and related devices find their way into more homes, this is likely to become more of an attractive concept for users. However, it will be interesting to see how the studios adapt to it.

    Imagine a world where studios have Facebook Pages set up for all of their movies, where they can easily be rented and viewed instantly right from Facebook. It remains to be seen whether WB will follow through on this concept, as this is just a test. It also remains to be seen whether other studios will follow suit. If so, the competition in the movie-rental industry is going to have to find some interesting ways to differentiate themselves.
    Right now, WB has the cost per rental at 30 Facebook Credits or $3. It’s currently only available in the U.S. Additional titles will be available over the coming months.

  • Amazon Looks For New Filmmakers With Launch Of Amazon Studios

    Amazon.com has launched Amazon Studios, a new online business that allows filmmakers and screenwriters to submit full-length movies and scripts to get their movie made and make money.

    Through the monthly and annual Amazon Studios Awards, Amazon Studios will offer a total of $2.7 million to the top submissions received by Dec. 31, 2011, and will seek to develop the top Amazon Studio projects as commercial feature films under its first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Amazon says its goal is to produce new, full-budget theatrical films based on the best projects. Under the Amazon Studios development agreement, if a filmmaker or screenwriter creates a project with an original script and it is released by Amazon Studios as a theatrical feature film, the submitter will receive a rights payment of $200,000; if the movie makes over $60 million at the U.S. box office, the original filmmaker or screenwriter will receive a $400,000 bonus.  If Warner Bros is not interested in developing a particular project, Amazon Studios can produce the project with another studio.

    Either scripts and active content are not permitted to run or Adobe Flash Player version 10.1.0 or greater is not installed.

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    Filmmakers are invited to add full-length test movies to Amazon Studios. Test movies may be made from an original script or from any script submitted to Amazon Studios. Test movies must be full length (more than 70 minutes), but they don’t have to be "full budget." While test movies must include imaginative stories with great acting and sound they don’t need to have theatrical-quality production values. Film fans can review Amazon Studios scripts and test movies, or even upload alternate, revised versions.

    Winning screenplays and full-length test movies will be selected on the basis of commercial viability, which will include consideration of premise, story, character, dialogue, emotion and other elements of great movies.

    In the 2011 Annual Awards, Amazon Studios will award $100,000 to the best script and $1 million to the best movie submitted by December 31, 2011. To be eligible for the first monthly awards, test movies and scripts must be uploaded by January 31, 2011. Winners for the first monthly awards will be announced near the end of February 2011– $100,000 for the best full-length test movie and $20,000 each for the two best scripts.
     

     

  • Netflix Users: Time Warner Considering Delays Longer Than 28 Days

    Netflix Users: Time Warner Considering Delays Longer Than 28 Days

    Netflix and Redbox customers might have to wait even longer to get a Warner Bros new release from their queue, as Time Warner is thinking about upping the wait time.

    Would you consider dropping Netflix if they don’t feature timely new releases? Let us know.

    Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said, "So far the 28-day window has clearly been a success versus no delay … the question of whether we ought to go longer is very much under scrutiny. It may well be a good idea."

    Since Janurary, Netflix and Redbox customers were forced to wait a month to get new releases from Warner Bros… soon you could be waiting 45 or maybe even 60 days, but that’s just speculation at this point, as the current contract doesn’t expire until 2011.

    The worst part about this situation is that other movie studios will probably jump on the upped wait time bandwagon. Will someone please explain why blocking or throttleing content seem like a good idea? This makes about as much sense as networks blocking content from Google TV.

    Vent your frustrations here.