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Bytes: Avengers Assembling, Astro Boy Arising

By The Geeks of Doom | @ | Thursday, September 14th, 2006 at 11:18 pm

THE AVENGERS will be assembling on the silver screen in a live-action feature. Zak Penn, who penned the last two X-MEN films, will write the screenplay. Over the years, several Marvel universe characters have joined the Avengers team — including Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Captain America — though there’s no official word yet which superheroes will appear in the movie. [Link]
Also hitting the silver screen — one of Marvel’s first superheroes, SUB-MARINER. TERMINATOR 3 director Jonathan Mostow will write and direct the live action movie. [Link]
A feature-length, animated ASTRO BOY movie is scheduled for release in 2009. Imagi Animations, which is currently working on a TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie, wil produce. [Link]
Jim Carrey will voice Horton and Steve Carell will voice the Mayor of Whoville in a computer-animated film based on Dr. Seuss’s HORTON HEARS A WHO, scheduled to hit theaters March 2008. [Link]
TIM BURTON will direct the screen version of the musical thriller SWEENEY TODD, based on Stephen Sondheim‘s stage production. Rumor has it that Johnny Depp might play the lead role. [Link]
The computer animated THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX will feature a slew of famous voices. Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Robbie Coltrane, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver and William H. Macy will be heard in the adaptation of the children’s book about one small mouse’s quest to change a kingdom forever.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER creator Joss Whedon will take over the writing for Marvel Comics’s RUNAWAYS series. [Link]
Will Eisner‘s The Spirit will meet Batman in a 48-page one-shot written by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke with art by Cooke and J. Bone. BATMAN / THE SPIRIT — which will guest star familiar supporting characters like Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, Ebony, P’Gell, and Commissioner Dolan — comes out November 29. [Link]
ABC.com wil begin streaming episodes of LOST, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and GREY’S ANATOMY, among others, on September 23. The shows are free but with commercials.
CBS is streaming the pilot episodes of SMITH, THE CLASS, and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE via Google Video. The free shows — commercial free, too — will be available until September 17.