First Look - "The Dark Knight Rises" - Catwoman

I'm sure Christopher Nolan is growing ever more weary of those pesky paparazzi that are flanked outside any locations The Dark Knight Rises is shooting and has decided to pre-empt them by releasing an official pic of Anne Hathaway's 'Catwoman', before they get the chance to leak them. And it is very intriguing indeed; it seems Nolan has gone in a completely different direction than any previous vision of Catwoman has gone before. Gone are the feline ears and mask and in, is a new set of blinky goggles. While I'm sure there will be some who are a bit alarmed at such a change of iconic character design, I am staying in the pro-Nolan side of things. Everything the man does is clearly thought out and elaborately planned before it is executed and I'm sure this costume is no change from that. Also important to note is that nowhere on any official studio statements is Hathaway referred to as Catwoman; rather Selina Kyle. Of course everybody knows it is she who becomes Catwoman, but could Nolan be choosing to forego the name in an effort to distance himself from any expectations the character might have? And just why is she piloting the Bat-Pod - did Batman lend it to her or did she steal it? Unfortunately, Nolan's release of one of the biggest tidbits of the film has led to even more questions, which I am sure is what the man had always planned. The guessing continues until July 20th next year......

First Look - "The Avengers" Character Artwork

The first glimpse of the assembled Avengers has been revealed, albeit in art form. So it may not be a live action shot as exciting as those chairs from a few months ago, but it is still very intriguing stuff. Also of note here is the first shot of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, looking more faithful to the original comic it was based on than any of the more recent cinematic treatments have and Cobie Smulders' new addition to S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill. While a live action teaser or picture of the entire cast is due for release any day now, this will have to do for the time being. Until it's release on April 27th next year, Joss Whedon has his work cut out for him.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" - Production Blog #2

A flurry of activity has been revealed on the upcoming Hobbit films. Over the past week Peter Jackson has released the first pictures of five of the thirteen dwarves. One of my biggest qualms was that with so many little people dominating the film, they would all blend into each other and have no distinct personality from the next. Jackson seems to have sidestepped that problem here, giving each dwarf a distinct look from the next. Also, with the first block of shooting finished Jackson has released another fantastic production diary detailing the behind the scenes of such an incredibly huge undertaking. It is easy to forget just how many people and how much effort goes into getting an average one these things made, never mind something as big as The Hobbit. I doubt anybody is envying Jackson at the moment with the insurmountable amount of work still yet to be done on these behemoths. The excitement rises......

First Look - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

For many people, the most exciting news they may hear all year, has just been released. Peter Jackson has released not one, but three exclusive pictures from "The Hobbit" films. While it is fantastic to see Ian McKellen looking exactly as majestic as his Gandalf did ten years ago, it is the first new shots of Bilbo that will generate the most buzz. And Martin Freeman looks perfect in his role. Taking on comfortably from Ian Holm, it seems he fits in impeccably with Jackson's take on the Tolkienverse. And that also seems to be the first (blurry) shot of some of the thirteen Dwarves watching behind Bilbo. It appears that Jackson has assuringly stuck with the same feel and tone as it's predecessors. After waiting for so long, it is incredibly exciting to be returning to Middle Earth. Jackson it seems, has used the films many delays wisely in honing the script and it all looks set to hopefully live up to the (almost impossibly) high standards of the original trilogy. The only downer of all this is that "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will not be released until December 14th 2012, and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" on December 13th, 2013. That sound you hear is millions of followers noisily scribbling down those dates in their calenders.

First Look - "The Dark Knight Rises" - Bane

In an incredibly exciting bit of news, the first image of Tom Hardy's character from the new Batman film has gone online. Fitting suitably in with Christopher Nolan's take on the Bat Universe, this is a more gritty and menacing version of Bane than we've ever seen before and looks as if Hardy has put back on all that muscle he had in "Bronson". Principle production has been under way for a few weeks now, so expect more information and possibly even a glimpse of Anne Hathaways's 'Catwoman' in the coming weeks/months. However, as is tradition with Nolan at this stage, security on the film is tighter than that at Arkham Asylam, so don't hold your breath on any more big reveals for now. That however is one of the reasons Nolan is as successful as he is. In this business, marketing a film means showing as much of it as possible in the run up to its release, in an attempt to drum up interest. Nolan and also JJ Abrams (as this years "Super 8" has attested to) have proven that keeping more hidden does far more for both the film and in getting audiences interested in it. With any reveals made by the studio from here, you can be guaranteed that they won't be at the risk of spoiling the overall film. The only downside to this is that "The Dark Knight Rises" is not set for release until July 20th next year.

First Look - Spider-Man (Reboot)

The first official image of Andrew Garfield in the as of yet, untitled Spider-Man Reboot has been released. While there have been some on set photos seen the past few days, this is the first image of Garfield in his actual iconic costume. Director Marc Webb has put together a pretty solid cast for his reboot and the suit in all fairness does look pretty great. Will it all be enough to put aside the fact that the series may still be far too fresh to even deserve a reboot in the first place?