Matt Smith Joins the Cast of "Terminator: Genesis"

Smith at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con,
courtesy Wikipedia

Deadline is reporting some pretty exciting news- The Doctor is taking on Skynet! Matt Smith is officially joining the cast of the new "Terminator: Genesis." His role is said to be in close connection with John Connor and will grow more important in the second and third installments of the franchise.

Smith will be joining fellow cast-mates Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, and Dayo Okeniyi. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be reprising his role as the Terminator. The rebooted franchise has certainly got some powerhouse sci-fi performers in its ranks! Alan Taylor will be directing "Terminator: Genesis," and is set for a July 1, 2015 release date.

Stay tuned for the latest news on "Terminator: Genesis" and check out Paramounts official statement on Smith's casting!

Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures to Reboot 'The Grudge'

Deadline recently reported that "The Grudge," the American remake of Takashi Shimizu's Japanese "Ju-On," will be getting a reboot. This time around, Good Universe and Ghost House Pictures are relaunching the franchise, with Jeff Buhler set to write up a draft.

The American version was released in 2004 and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as a nurse in Tokyo that suffered at the hands of an evil, and fatal, curse. The Shimizu-directed remake only cost about $10 million to make, which is a relatively low budget. The film went on to gross $187 million worldwide and spawned two sequels. Set to produce the film are Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise, with Roy Lee, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane and Doug Davison executive producing. Currently, there is no director attached to the project, but maybe Shimizu will return to the helm once again?

While it's only been ten years since the release of the American, the success of Raimi's "Evil Dead" reboot is definitely something to keep in mind. Are you excited about this addition to the year of the reboots, or do you think it's too soon and should be left alone? Either way, keep checking back here for the latest info!

-Nowal Massari

Fox Celebrates 35th Anniversary of "Alien" with Release of First Ever Ellen Ripley Action Figure

Courtesy IMDB

For 35 years now, "Alien" has been a cross-genre fan favorite franchise. To commemorate this sci-fi horror film's anniversary, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and toy gurus, NECA, are making Lieutenant Ellen Ripley into the action figure she deserves to be for the first time ever. The action figure will feature the likeness of Sigourney Weaver, the Oscar Nominated actress that brought the bad-ass monster fighting Ripley to life.

Jeffrey Godsick, president of Fox Consumer Products, spoke on the commemoration by saying “As we celebrate the 35th anniversary of one of the most successful film franchises of all time, we are thrilled to introduce an array of commemorative products across different categories in partnership with iconic brands including NECA, SEGA and many more[...] In addition to the highly anticipated release of Alien: Isolation™, hardcore fans can finally add Lieutenant Ellen Ripley to their ALIEN collections as we welcome her NECA figures into the family of officially-licensed merchandise. Many other exciting first-time and limited edition products will also release to celebrate this exciting milestone this year.”

'Woman in Black' Receiving Multiple Sequels

Courtesy IMDB

While "The Woman in Black," sequel isn't set for release until 2015, that isn't stopping Hammer CEO, Simon Oakes from planning further additions to the franchise.

In an interview with Total Films, Oakes revealed that he is already thinking about the third and fourth installments, stating that- "If your second’s successful, then your third, then you’ve got a franchise… I just don’t believe in the notion that you can press a button and create a franchise, but, I mean, I’m definitely planning 3 and 4…"

The upcoming sequel, "The Woman in Black: Angel of Death," is based on an original story by Susan Hill, written by Jon Croker and directed by Tom Harper. Currently there is no US release date, but the movie is set to be released in the UK on February 13, 2015.

For the curious, here is a synopsis of the film:

“The Woman in Black" was set in the early 1900′s and detailed the story of a young lawyer who is ordered to travel to a remote corner of the U.K. to sort out the papers of a recently deceased client. In the eerie setting of Eel Marsh House he discovers the vengeful ghost of the title. Seized by the government and converted into a military mental hospital during World War II, the sudden arrival of disturbed soldiers to Eel Marsh Harsh has awoken its darkest inhabitant. Eve, a beautiful young nurse, is sent to the house to care for the patients but soon realizes she must save them from more than their own demons. Despite Eve’s efforts to stop her, one by one they fall victim to the Woman in Black.

-Nowal Massari