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After the swarm of rumors that circulated about who might be behind the camera for Star Wars: Episode VII, before J.J. Abrams was officially announced as director, it sounds like the casting rumors are heating up again. We've already heard plenty of talk about Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford reprising their roles from the original sci-fi saga, but now we have a rumor on a new young cast member for this sequel that will follow Return of the Jedi. Latino Review reports that Abrams' Mission: Impossible III star Jonathan Rhys Meyers is currently in talks for an unknown role in the anticipated sequel. More below!

› Posted 1 min ago in Casting, Rumors, Star Wars | Comments

New 'Man of Steel' Featurette & Two High-Flying, Dueling Banners

Now that we've seen a big chunk of footage in the form of spectacular full trailers and some stunning TV spots, it's time to dive behind the scenes of Man of Steel, the promising return of Superman directed by Zack Snyder. This new featurette features some awesome new footage along with interviews with Clark Kent and Superman himself, Henry Cavill, along with the aforementioned filmmaker, his wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder, The Dark Knight trilogy producer Charles Roven and co-stars including Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne and more. Watch it!

› Posted 41 mins ago in Featurette, Hype, Posters, To Watch | Comments

Must Watch: Fantastic Red Band Trailer for 'Kings of Summer' Indie

The first trailer for Jordan Vogt-Roberts' hit indie comedy Kings of Summer brought some laughs, but we pointed out that it wasn't necessarily indicative of the film as a whole. This film has edge, heart, and a unique take on the familiar coming-of-age story and that's why it took Sundance by storm earlier this year. Now a new red band trailer is available online (with a quote from our very own Alex Billington featured prominently), and this one was cut by the director himself, so the film is portrayed exactly as he wants it to be. Led by Nick Robinson, Gabriel Russo and Moises Arias, with great supporting turns by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, this is one indie you will not want to miss this summer. Watch below!

› Posted 1 hour ago in To Watch, Trailers | Comments

Indie Trailer Sunday: Badass Punk Rock Doc 'A Band Called Death'

"We are fighting to maintain our identity!" While the Cannes Film Festival rages on, today's trailer is for an indie rock doc called A Band Called Death, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival this year and was picked up by Drafthouse Films in February. This trailer has been out for a bit, but we haven't featured it yet and I thought it a worthy film to highlight today. Similar to the Oscar winning doc Searching for Sugar Man, this tells the story of a three-member African-American punk rock band called Death from Detroit that never hit it big until 30 years later when tapes were found in an attic. This looks badass. The Ultimate Trip.

› Posted 20 hours ago in Docs, Indies, To Watch, Trailers | Comments

Kickstart This: Awesome Practical FX Creature Film 'Harbinger Down'

By Ben Pearson

Welcome back to another edition of Kickstart This, FirstShowing's weekly column dedicated to spreading the word about cool indie projects that need your help to become a reality. This week, we're taking a look at "a film that utilizes and celebrates practical creature effects" called Harbinger Down. This project comes from the folks at Amalgamated Dynamics and promises a tense, claustrophobic thriller in the vein of Alien and The Thing. The best part? They'll only use practical animatronic and makeup effects to create the film's creatures. Take a look at their pitch video below, leave us a comment, and donate if you can. Watch this!

› Posted 20 hours ago in Indies, Kickstart This | Comments

Cannes 2013: Coens' 'Inside Llewyn Davis' is Charming Folk Perfection

Ah yes, the Coen Brothers. We all know them. We all love them. They've made some of finest films cinema has to offer. But what if they did something a bit different? Inside Llewyn Davis, while unquestionably a Coen Brothers film, is a breath of fresh air from the filmmaker brothers. It's not as dark or deeply moving as No Country for Old Men, nor is it at overly joyful as Burn After Reading, it falls somewhere inbetween, an engrossing exploration of a musician named Llewyn Davis living in New York in the 1960s. It's a perfect period piece and a dark, but fun, earnest, entertaining film that I thoroughly enjoyed every last second of.

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› Posted May 19 in Cannes 13, Review | Comments

Cannes 2013: Complex Relationships Shine in Farhadi's 'The Past'

In mid-February of last year I went, by myself, to a screening of Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi's A Separation and fell for it completely, a masterpiece. A month later the film went on to win the Oscar, and Farhadi started working on his next feature, which I knew I had to see. Premiering at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival is Asghar Farhadi's The Past, a French film dealing with a series of complex relationships between two families in Paris. It's further proof that Farhadi is an absolute master of human dynamics, relationships and performances that expertly captures the complex, deep layers that exist between all of us in this world.

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› Posted May 19 in Cannes 13, Review | Comments

News Team Back in New 'Anchorman: The Legend Continues' Teaser

Very early last year, two teaser trailers arrived for Anchorman: The Legend Continues. Now another teaser for the film currently shooting in Georgia has been unveiled in the same vein as those first two. There's still no real footage from the film starring Will Ferrell just yet, but trust that there are plenty of insane and unpredictable cameos in store, and you'd be wise to avoid anyone trying to spoil them with set photos online. Some will be familiar faces from Adam McKay's previous films, while others will come out of left field to surprise you. We can't wait to see this comedy before Christmas later this year. Watch below!

› Posted May 18 in To Watch, Trailers | Comments

Sound Off: J.J. Abrams' 'Star Trek Into Darkness' - Your Thoughts?

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Beyond the darkness, lies greatness. "These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise..." Now playing in IMAX/3D/2D theaters worldwide is J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, his highly anticipated sequel to the sci-fi franchise Star Trek reboot from 2009. The entire Enterprise crew returns, lead by Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch as their latest foe. How is this sequel? Better than the first one or worse? Once you've seen it, post a comment with your thoughts on Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness.

› Posted May 17 in Discuss, SciFi, Sound Off | Comments

Summit Entertainment Has Already Hired Writers to Script 'RED 3'

It's getting to the point that having a studio put a sequel into development before the first film or next sequel hits theaters isn't really a showing of faith in the property. Essentially, it just means the studio wants to be prepared as soon as possible if the film turns out to be a hit. And that's likely what's being done at Summit Entertainment with a report from THR revealing that the Lionsgate division of the studio has hired Jon and Erich Hoeber to script RED 3, a sequel to their two previous films about a dangerous group of retired special operatives featuring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and more. Read on!

› Posted May 17 in Development, Movie News | Comments

Watch: 'The Young and Prodigious Spivet' Gets Quirky, Rustic Trailer

Late last year we got our first look at The Young and Prodigious Spivet, a family film based on The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, the debut novel by American author Reif Larsen. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, Micmacs) co-wrote and directs the film which follows a 12-year old mapmaker named T.S. Spivet, who lives on a ranch in Montana, as he receives a prestigious award and accepts it, hitch-hiking on a freight train for the acceptance speech in Washington D.C. Kyle Catlett ("The Following") leads the film which also features Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis and more. It looks original and quite charming Watch!

› Posted May 17 in To Watch, Trailers | Comments

David O. Russell to Direct JFK Assassination Film 'Legacy of Secrecy'?

In the fall of 2010, news surfaced that Leonardo DiCaprio was going to star in and produce Legacy of Secrecy, an adaptation of Lamar Waldron and Thom Hartmann's non-fiction book of the same name. The actor's father brought the book to his attention which includes new and recently disclassified information from the FBI and National Archives which hypothesizes a motive behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Since then we haven't heard anything about the project, but Showbiz 411 caught up with DiCaprio's father at Cannes, and reportedly David O. Russell is going to write and direct the film now.

› Posted May 17 in Development, Movie News | Comments

Must Watch: Full Trailer for Sci-Fi 'Europa Report' with Sharlto Copley

Europa Report is a sci-fi project we've been waiting to check out for awhile, and now the full trailer is here. With quotes that tout a realistic approach to space travel and moments that incorporate the wonder of space exploration with the horrors of the unknown, this looks like it could be an awesome piece of sci-fi. Sharlto Copley stars in this film about a contemporary mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to investigate the possible existence of alien life within our solar system. Along with his crew, they explore Jupiter's moon, but as you might expect, what they find may not be ready to be found. We can't wait to see this. Watch now!

› Posted May 17 in SciFi, To Watch, Trailers | Comments

'Ain't Them Bodies Saints' Gets Illustrated Book Cover Style Poster