Access ‘Week In Geek,’ November 19, 2010 (The Search For The Next Superman)

In the Access “Week In Geek,” the search for the new big screen Superman begins, the first footage featuring Green Lantern takes flight, Joss Whedon says he wants Angelina Jolie to be his Wonder Woman and The Hulk comes closer to making a TV return.

THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT “MAN OF STEEL” BEGINS

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder have opened the gates to what will most likely be an extensive search for their new Superman, who is set to take flight in the 2012 franchise reboot.

The news that the studio is “open to creating a star” who is, ”in the age range of 28-to-32” means we can assume that the last big screen Man of Steel, Brandon Routh, is out of the running. As would be Tom Welling, who has portrayed Clark Kent for ten seasons on The CW’s “Smallville.” Despite the rather vocal fanboy approval vote for Jon Hamm, whose name has been widely thrown into the rumor mill for the past month or two, the target casting age range would seem to rule him out too.

Truth be told, if director Zack Snyder and executive producer Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight,” “Inception”) want to truly put their own mark on the Superman legend, casting Brandon indeed would tie it to Bryan Singer’s 2006 “Superman Returns” (which itself was rooted in the groundwork set by the “Superman” films starring Christopher Reeve), and letting Tom Welling go from small screen Clark Kent to big screen Superman would simply make the new film feel like a theatrical sequel to “Smallville.”

TRAILER PARK: “GREEN LANTERN” AND “COWBOYS & ALIENS”

Two big trailers made a huge splash this week: “Green Lantern” starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, and “Cowboys & Aliens,” starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

Blake Lively spoke with Access Hollywood on Thursday about her excitement surrounding the highly anticipated first look at her trailer, which showcased massive special effects and an intergalactic story.

Check out the “Green Lantern” trailer HERE.

as “a real cowboy movie, looks like a cowboy movie, feels like a classic cowboy movie, and then things happen, and then it goes back to being a cowboy movie with this added element,” he wasn’t kidding. This will easily be one of the most talked about movies for 2011.

Check out the First Look at “Cowboys & Aliens,” HERE.

JOSS WHEDON’S WONDER WOMAN FIRST CHOICE? — ANGELINA JOLIE!

“For me, Wonder Woman was basically Angelina Jolie,” “The Avengers” director told Entertainment Weekly. ”She spends a lot of time flying around. She works in a lot of different countries. She’s very global. And she’s appalled by the way people treat each other.”

Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Firefly,” is well known for writing strong female characters. He was attached as the screenwriter in the attempt to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen with uber producer Joel Silver and Warner Bros.

However, all parties involved with the project have since moved on. Wonder Woman was included in George Miller’s abandoned “Justice League: Mortal” film to have been played by Megan Gale, and has since been announced ready to be brought back to TV by producer David E. Kelley.

Whether or not Angelina was ever even actually approached, remains to be revealed. She already has several ‘kicking butt’ films under her belt — as “Tomb Raider’s” Lara Croft, as Edwina Salt in “Salt” and also her role as Fox in the big screen version of the Top Cow comic book “Wanted.”

NEW “HULK” TV SHOW FINDS ITS CREATIVE TEAM

In a move sure to make fans happy, Deadline also reports that Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy”) and David Eick (SyFy’s “Battlestar Galactica”) are nearing a deal to bring Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk back to TV on ABC.

The show will be produced by Marvel TV and ABC Studios and bring the green giant to life using a combination of practical effects and CGI. The elaborate (and expensive) computer effects used on the last two big screen versions (as well as in the upcoming “The Avengers” movie) would probably prove to be a budget buster on a weekly network TV show.

According to the report, del Toro (who has kept quite busy since departing the director’s chair of “The Hobbit” in May) would direct the pilot if available, oversee Hulk’s redesign for the show and write the script with series co-creator David. The show will feature a Bruce Banner in his mid 20’s and most likely hit the airwaves after The Hulk is seen next played by Mark Ruffalo in Joss Whedon’s big screen superhero team-up movie “The Avengers.” At this early stage, it is unclear how much, if any, of that film could be tied in with the show.

DENIS LEARY IN TALKS TO JOIN “SPIDER-MAN” REBOOT

“Rescue Me” star Denis Leary is reportedly close to signing on to play George Stacy, the police captain father of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) in Marc Webb’s 3D reboot of the “Spider-Man” franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

George and Gwen Stacy were previously seen on the big screen in 2007’s “Spider-Man 3” played by James Cromwell and Bryce Dallas Howard, respectively.

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