The idea to make a movie based on insanely-popular game “Angry Birds” was first introduced years ago, but the project had yet to gain any forward momentum. Now (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how eager you are to see those birds fly in 3-D), it looks like the film will come to fruition after all, with sources telling The Wrap that veteran screenwriter Jon Vitti has been hired to pen a script.

Vitti, an Emmy-winning writer and producer on shows such as “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” and “The Office,” is no stranger to turning existing stories into successful big screen features, having contributed his writing and consulting talents to films such as “The Simpsons Movie,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” and the first two “Ice Age” movies.

But he may face an uphill battle with “Angry Birds,” which has no real plot and whose outcome is based purely on gamers’ performance. And turning video games into movies has always been a dicey prospect in Hollywood, both in terms of quality and finances; for every successful “Tomb Raider” or “Resident Evil,” there’s a “Doom” or “Super Mario Brothers” waiting in the wings.

Vitti will have the help of Catherine Winder, former Lucasfilm Animation and Fox Animation executive, who’ll serve as producer on the project alongside “Despicable Me”’s John Cohen.

“I’m very excited that Jon and Catherine have joined us, bringing with them their vast expertise,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of ‘Angry Birds’ maker Rovio Entertainment, which is backing the film financially. “I’m confident we are building the right team to deliver an amazing movie experience to our fans.”

The movie, to be released by Sony, is set to hit theaters sometime in July 2016. We’ll hold on to our slingshots until then.

[via TheWrap]

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” director Bryan Singer has been tweeting up a storm (and tweeting about Storm) ever since he took the helm of the latest installment of the “X-Men” franchise, and on Monday he gave fans yet another taste of what they can expect from the film, revealing the first glimpse of Jennifer Lawrence re-applying her Mystique makeup.

The striking image shows Lawrence decked out in head-to-toe blue body paint, revealing every last curve of the Academy Award-winning actress’s body. Her yellow eyes and red hair pop against her bright skin, and she’s seen standing in front of a green screen backdrop.

This is Lawrence’s second time appearing as the shape-shifting mutant (who Singer described as “vengeful’), having first stripped down in 2011′s “X-Men: First Class.” “Days of Future Past” promises to meld that world with the one seen in the first three “X-Men” films, purportedly featuring a time-traveling Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), who warns the mutants of the past about a catastrophic future.

Stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Anna Paquin, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender, among many others, are all slated to reprise their roles. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” hits theaters July 18, 2014.

[via Twitter h/t CinemaBlend]

First look: #JenniferLawrence as a vengeful #Mystique. #XMen #DaysOfFuturePast twitter.com/BryanSinger/st…

— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) May 20, 2013

Amanda Seyfried and her “Epic” co-stars walked a green carpet for the animated film’s premiere on Saturday.

Fake grass and assorted shrubbery lined the star-studded path Seyfriend, Colin Farrell, and Jason Sudeikis’s path at the event, and one of their co-stars, comedian Judah Friedlander, took a moment to relax and lie in the grass, much to the delight of photographers.

“Epic” tells the classic story of the ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl (Amanda Seyfried) finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours. The Leafmen characters featured in “Epic” are inspired by William Joyce’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs,” which introduced the Samurai-like warriors.

Check out the “Epic” premiere photos below. The movie hits theaters May 24.

Moviefone’s New Release of the Week
“Side Effects”
What’s it about? Side effects may occur in this psychological thriller about a new prescription drug gone awry starring Rooney Mara and Jude Law.
Why we’re IN: This film manages to bring sexy and scary into balance, and the cast is a winning combination.

Moviefone’s Blu-ray of the Week
“My Neighbor Totoro”
What’s it about? A classic animated film about two Japanese girls who meet a furry forest sprite, created by acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki and featuring voice performances by young Dakota Fanning and her little sister Elle Fanning.
Why we’re IN: “Totoro” is a beloved classic, and we’re glad to see it being brought to life once again in Blu-ray.

New on DVD & Blu-ray
“The Last Stand”
What’s it about? Arnold Schwarzenegger is a Los Angeles cop-turned-border town sherriff in this shoot-‘em-up, action-packed movie. Johnny Knoxville provides the yucks.
In or Out: IN.

Watch an Exclusive Blu-ray Clip from “The Last Stand”

“Parker”
What’s it about? Jason Statham is Parker, a professional thief who justifies his line of work with an ethical code, who goes on a revenge spree with a little help from an unlikely partner (played by Jennifer Lopez) after his accomplices stab him in the back. Unfortunately, the acting falls flat.
In or Out: OUT.

“Love Sick Love”
What’s it about? Man meets woman. Man dates woman. Woman kidnaps man and tortures him in an isolated house with her disturbed family – creepy kids included. “Love Sick Love” reaches for both laughs and cringes, but ends up just confusing.
In or Out: OUT.

“Struck By Lightning”
What’s it about? A coming-of-age story with a healthy dose of cynicism, high school senior and aspiring writer Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) blackmails his fellow students into helping him launch a literary magazine, with some help and comedic relief from Rebel Wilson.
In or Out: IN.

“Stand Up Guys”
What’s it about? When a former mobster gets out of jail after serving twenty-eight years for refusing to rat out his associates, he and his former mobster pals (played by Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin) try to make up for lost time in amusing ways. For all of these actors’ chops and potential, the material just doesn’t hold up.
In or Out: OUT.

New to Blu-ray
“National Lampoon’s Vacation” 30th Anniversary Edition

Watch an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” Blu-ray

“Howl’s Moving Castle”
“Captain America” (1990) Collector’s Edition
“The Public Enemy” (1931)
“White Heat” (1949)

Why were Paul Walker and Vin Diesel chased by helicopters in real life?

In the latest episode of Unscripted, the “Fast & Furious 6″ stars talk about their wild night at a real-life illegal street race, what “Fast” characters are the most badass, and how many more films are left in the action franchise’s future.

In the latest adrenaline-pumping “Fast” installment, Agent Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) enlists Dom (Diesel) and his team to bring a rival gang, led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), to justice in exchange for a clean criminal record. Not a bad deal.

Watch Diesel and Walker go Unscripted above. “Fast & Furious 6″ speeds into theaters May 24.

The Channel 4 news team is back and classier than ever in the newest teaser trailer for “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”

Likening the gang to Jesus and Jay-Z, a voiceover assures us that just as those great men returned, so will Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Champ Kind (David Koechner).

“And when they do,” the narrator promises, “one thing is for sure: their hair will be perfect.”

And by the beard of Zeus, their follicles are indeed perfect. Short and sweet, the clip gives us a quick glimpse of our heroes, who look and sound the same — and as self-delusional — as they did in 2004, the last time they graced the big screen.

There’s no sign of anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) or any of the other stars appearing in the flick (including Harrison Ford, Kristen Wiig, Nicole Kidman, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler), but we’re still pumped to see the old gang back together again. “Anchorman 2” drops December 20.

Hollywood can breathe a sigh of relief: Seth MacFarlane has just confirmed that he won’t return to host next year’s Oscars.

MacFarlane, whose bawdy, politically incorrect performance as host of this year’s telecast received mixed, mostly-negative reviews (two words: “Boobs Song”), announced on Twitter Monday that he simply didn’t have the time to commit to the gig.

“Traumatized critics exhale: I’m unable to do the Oscars again,” MacFarlane wrote. “Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep.”

Indeed, by the time next year’s ceremony rolls around, MacFarlane will be deep in post-production on his next directorial vehicle, the comedy-western “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” in which he will also star. Despite early reports that he had been invited back to host the Academy Awards telecast, MacFarlane’s other commitments — he also helms Fox’s “Family Guy” — were just too numerous.

“However, I highly recommend the job, as [Craig] Zadan and [Neil] Meron are two of the most talented producers in the business,” MacFarlane said of the pair, who produced this year’s ceremony and are returning to the gig in 2014. Zadan and Meron came to MacFarlane’s defense in the wake of negative reviews of his performance, accusing critics of not understanding the host’s subversive humor.

With MacFarlane out of contention, it’s someone else’s turn to be subversive. But MacFarlane says he already has an idea of who might fit that bill.

“My suggestion for host is Joaquin Phoenix,” he wrote.

[via THR]

James Badge Dale has always been one of those promising character actors who you knew to keep an eye on; he starred as a squirrely everyman caught in a vast conspiracy in AMC’s short-lived series “Rubicon,” and anchored the very best scene in Robert Zemeckis’s “Flight” (he was the cancer patient in the staircase). But this summer he not only flirts with superstardom, he takes superstardom out to a five-course meal and brings it back to his place.

In successive months, James Badge Dale stars in three of the summer’s biggest, most talked-about blockbusters. You can currently see him as a gum-chewing bad guy in the excellent “Iron Man 3″; next month he battles hordes of flesh-eating zombies in the highly anticipated “World War Z,” and in July he stars alongside Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in Disney’s mega-budget “The Lone Ranger.”

We got to speak with the actor about what it was like being in these projects and how comfortable he is with the title “The King of Summer.” Take that Will Smith!

First off, congratulations. Did you ever think you would be starring in three of the hottest movies of the summer season?
I did not plan it this way. Let me be very clear about that.

But it must be a thrill for you?
It’s great. I had a great time doing all three films. All three films are very different. And to have them all open up in one summer a month apart, I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s thrilling.

Let me first talk about “Iron Man 3.” Were you a fan of the comic book before you signed on?
Let me tell you about my childhood, about my level of geekdom — I got beat up by the kids who used to read comics. I was definitely down the geek ladder. I wasn’t cool enough to read the comic books. My cousin is actually a massive comic book fan and she walked me through the Marvel universe. She was my technical advisor of the film. She gave me all the info on the characters and the world. And I brought her to the premiere.

That’s a good trade-off.
You know, you don’t work for free.

Did you reference anything specific from the comic book?
No. They kind of gave me free reign to do what I wanted to do. And Savin seemed to be a combination of the old template of the Coldblood character and another character in the ‘Extremis’ arc. The great thing about Shane Black and especially Downey — you get on set with Downey and they are very much about the creative process as it’s happening then and there. And they like to play. You’re not boxed in by anything.

I’ve seen about 20 minutes of “Lone Ranger” and it looks pretty amazing. What brought you to that project?
They said I could grow a moustache and I was like “I’m on board, yeah. Let’s do it.” No I’m kidding. To me, it was Gore Verbinski. There’s not many guys out there like him. He makes big movies that are very good. The story works, it was a great script, and we had a lot of fun on it. And I’d never done a western before. That was the great thing about “Iron Man 3,” that was the great thing about “World War Z” — I’ve never done a zombie movie before, I’ve never done a comic book film before. This was all new. And as an actor you want to do things that are new and exciting.

I was going to ask you about some of the amazing directors you’ve worked with — Martin Scorsese, Steve McQueen, Joe Carnahan, Robert Zemeckis — do you sort of watch them and pick up things from each of them?
I’m a watcher, I am. When I did “The Departed” in ’05, I was very young. And I didn’t really know how to conduct myself on set. But what I did was watch Matt Damon watch Martin Scorsese. Damon studied Scorsese and talked to him about film every chance he got. Because sometimes you just have one moment with these directors… You should talk to them and watch them work and soak it in, because it can only help you as an actor and understand your place in the whole film process. So I try to steal a page from Damon’s playbook and watch and study the different methods.

Damon wants to direct soon. Is that something you want to try, too?
I’m still trying to figure out this acting thing. Talk to me in 10 years.

What can you tell us about “World War Z?”
“World War Z” — that’s a big movie in scope and size. It’s based on this book by Max Brooks, which I think is a brilliant book, but the idea of the zombie epic becoming a worldwide plague. You think of it in terms of disease. I think the brilliance of the movie is what happens with society and economy and government and the way that these things break down. If you had a worldwide economic collapse, what would the results of those be? In a strange way it’s very realistic.

The kind of ongoing creative process of “World War Z” has been highly publicized. Were you brought back for those reshoots?
No. As in the book, it’s almost like a series of vignettes. So the part that I’m in is isolated and it wasn’t touched.

Have you seen it yet?
Yeah I have seen it. It’s pretty cool. I saw it at 11 o’clock in the morning. I’ve never seen a zombie movie at 11 a.m. Let me put it this way: it changed the way I dealt with the rest of the day.

So it maintains its intensity even though it’s PG-13?
I know that’s what everybody’s worried about with a zombie film. But people were jumping out of their seats at the screening I was at — at 11 in the morning.

That’s when you know it’s good.
Yeah. When people are screaming at 11 a.m., it’s good.

So can we start calling James Badge Dale “The King of Summer” from now on?
[Laughs] You know how many people in my neighborhood would just rip me apart for that one?

I’m going to take that as a yes.
[Laughs] Thank you.

Details about Woody Allen’s latest film, “Blue Jasmine,” may be hard to come by, but we’ve got something that will give fans of the director something to ponder for a while: the official poster (below), featuring a strikingly pensive Cate Blanchett.

What we do know is that the film tells the story of a fashionable New York housewife in the final stages of an acute crisis. Sure, this may raise more questions than answers, but that just makes you want to see “Blue Jasmine” more, right?

The movie also stars Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., and Bobby Cannavale.

Check out the poster below, and discover what “Blue Jasmine” is all about when it hits theaters July 26.

Click to zoom