We are so happy that there are people out there on the internet with immeasurable time on their hands, such as OneMinuteGalactica. The YouTuber recut the Dark Knight Trilogy, mostly Batman Begins, as a coming-of-age story.

Between the music, the boyish look on Christian Bale’s face throughout and the messages coming from Michael Caine, by gosh, this thing works.

Dark Knight Trilogy as Coming of Age Story Trailer

As the debate continues over the merits of Ben Affleck as Batman, let’s just take a moment and reflect on the previous Batman, as portrayed as a boy trying to become a man! 

Hot on the heels of news that Garrett Hedlund is Hook in Joe Wright’s Pan, the Peter Pan origins story now has Hugh Jackman on board as the evil Blackbeard. That’s a whole lot of pirates!

Wright is filming a new take on the J.M. Barrie story about the mischievous soul who refused to grow up. No word as to casting yet of the title role, or if Wendy or the other children he visits will even be in this picture. And also, will there be a Tinker Bell?

Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Distribution for Warner Bros., could not contain his thrill at scoring Jackman for their movie that has taken the Batman vs. Superman release date of July 17, 2015.

"Hugh Jackman always delivers indelible performances that resonate with audiences. We know he will create a Blackbeard who will be a powerful presence in this original Peter Pan adventure."

Pan is not alone on that date as Marvel moved up Ant-Man to the same weekend!

Movie Fanatic previously reported that Miles Teller is reading for that Fantastic Four reboot, along with Kit Harrington, Saoirse Ronan and Kate Mara.

Although it isn’t specific as to who he will be playing, a site called Acting Auditions posted a call for actors in Louisiana for the Fantastic Four movie and kind of let it slip when it said, "Fox feature film 'Fantastic Four' starring Michael B. Jordan will begin shooting March 24th in Baton Rouge."

And that bit of information was followed up with this description of the story for the film that will reunite Jordan with his Chronicle director, Josh Trank. For fans of the comic books, you’ll notice a marked difference from the below description and how, and when, the Fantastic Four got their powers in the original mythology. Well, at least Mr. Fantastic and The Thing.

"Two friends (who end up being Mr. Fantastic and The Thing), starts with them being really young. An event happens at 16 that changes them, instead of being superheroes, they are basically owned by the government and used as weapons."

UPDATE:

Trank took to his Twitter account to refute the above synopsis. "That synopsis is definitely not the synopsis or anything close to the synopsis. i don't know who put that out."

So, I guess we'll wait (some more) for the "real" one!  

If you are one of the millions who have found themselves singing songs from Frozen, the latest news from Disney should thrill. Frozen will be arriving in theaters on January 31 as a sing-along version that allows audiences to belt out the latest set of Disney classics with a theater full of fellow Frozen fans.

The international impact of the movie can be felt in its massive box office receipts (it currently is the second highest grossing Disney animated film of all time, behind The Lion King), but also in how the songs have been translated into dozens of languages. Check out this video of Let it Go sang in 25 languages!

“Frozen fans have embraced the film’s original songs and its soundtrack with such passion -- there are countless YouTube videos from people singing songs like Let It Go -- we decided to create a version that would celebrate that enthusiasm,” said Dave Hollis, executive vice president, theatrical distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s a great opportunity for families to get together and have some fun with these songs.”

The winner of Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes is an Oscar nominee for the same category and, we think, a lock to win! So, before the awards come raining down on Disney’s film, be sure to head to the theaters January 31 and enjoy the unique bliss that is singing songs from your new favorite film with a theater full of like-minded souls!

And if you’re a fan of the film, news of the Frozen DVD release and bonus features surely thrilled as well! 

Mr. Grey wants you, judging by the first poster for the highly anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey movie. Jamie Dornan is Christian Grey and according to the newly released poster that is teasing the year-long countdown to the film’s Valentine’s Day 2015 arrival, he is ready for some company.

Although you will note that the poster reads, “this film has not been rated,” there has been controversy of late. Producers have indicated an interest in toning down the film to give Fifty Shades a Grey a PG-13. That, of course, would be completely different from the uber kinky book by E.L. James.

Dakota Johnson is Anastasia Steele, who winds up in the most obsessive of relationships with the older billionaire. Stay tuned as we think it’s inconceivable that the film will be rated PG-13, but in order to get more people in the seats, that may be the way to go. If that is the case, count on a director’s cut arriving on home video that is much steamier.  

Ride Along continues to cruise atop the box office as it makes it two weeks in a row as the nation’s top film. The Ice Cube and Kevin Hart-starring action comedy took in $21.2 million, bringing its total earnings to $75.4 million. The only new film to arrive in theaters this weekend, I, Frankenstein, didn’t even make the top five. The Aaron Eckhart flick landed in sixth place, with a lowly $8.3 million.

Second place belonged to the last film to be number one that wasn’t called Ride Along, Lone Survivor. The Mark Wahlberg-starring true story banked $12.6 million, bringing its cume to $93.6 million.

Third place belonged to the surprise animated hit Nut Job. The film, that has spawned a Nut Job sequel, made $12.3 million. Right behind it in fourth place was another animated film, Frozen, and its $9 million. The Disney movie has become the second highest grossing animated film for the studio, behind The Lion King. Frozen has made an astonishing $347.8 million.

Closing out the top five is the Jack Ryan reboot, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Its $8.8 million over the weekend brings its total to $30.2 million.

Box office top 10:

1. Ride Along, $21.2 million
2. Lone Survivor, $12.6 million
3. The Nut Job, $12.3 million
4. Frozen, $9 million
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, $8.8 million
6. I, Frankenstein, $8.3 million
7. American Hustle, $7.1 million
8. August: Osage County, $5.1 million
9. The Wolf of Wall Street, $5 million
10. Devil’s Due, $2.8 million

The latest Maleficent trailer premiered during the Grammy Awards and now we see why. It featured the debut of the Lana Del Rey song Once Upon a Dream, a track that will feature prominently in the film that features Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, the iconic villain from Sleeping Beauty.

Maleficent Once Upon a Dream Trailer

Disney is offering a chance for people to check out the song in full over at Google Play, but only through February 3.

The film explores the previously untold story of Maleficent and how she not only came to be, but how she found herself permanently intertwined with the Sleeping Beauty story. She is driven by revenge that stems from her innate wishes to protect the moors that she rules over. In that effort, she places an irrevocable curse on Aurora, the newborn infant of the human king. As she gets older, she is drawn into the fight between the forest world she adores, and the human world that she is firmly a part of.

Maleficent hits theaters May 30 and is one of our must-see movies of 2014. It also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

And yes, that’s Vivienne Jolie-Pitt in the trailer as the little girl running through the field!

We’ve long heard about those evil Sentinels and how they, we think, are the reason that the X-Men world of old and new have to come together. Now, with the 25th anniversary celebration over at UK’s Empire, we get our first look. The famed movie magazine is releasing 25 images from X-Men: Days of Future Pastand here’s what we have so far. We start with those impressive-looking Sentinels.

Since the X-Men: Days of Future Past cast shocked us by showing up at Comic-Con, this film has been high on our radar. These Empire covers have done nothing but increase that anticipation. We’ve heard much about young Toad (Evan Jonigkeit) appearing, and now we have our first look at him too!

Havoc is next and Lucas Till just nails it. Can’t you just see him living up to his moniker?

William Stryker is a huge part of the X-Men universe, and in X-Men: Days of Future Past, we learn about his beginnings.

Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage joins the X-Men world as Bolivar Trask, head of the famed, and notorious, Trask industries.

Check out the X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer and get excited for the film that lands May 23 and brings together Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen as Magneto, James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart as Professor X, plus Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.

Stay with Movie Fanatic as we bring you more of these special edition Empire covers throughout the day! 

The push for Gravity to score some serious Academy Awards hardware got a big push. After all, it leads all movies with 10 Oscar nominations. Alfonso Cuaron has won the Best Director trophy at the Directors Guild Awards for his work on the mind-blowing space epic. The guild is a huge predictor of who wins the Best Director Academy Award come Oscar night. And, in some ways, could also foresee who is likely to win Best Picture.

Cuaron seriously deserved the honor above all others, in our opinion. What he accomplished was a game changer, as we reported in our Gravity review. To craft a film with such spectacle, scope and human emotion is nothing short of a miracle.

Cuaron beat out Paul Greengrass for his work on Captain Phillips, Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, David O. Russell for his masterwork American Hustle and Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street. 

The Lego® Movie hits theaters February 7 and to celebrate that fact, Movie Fanatic is presenting a prize pack for the LEGO-loving kid in all of us! As seen in The LEGO Movie trailer, Chris Pratt is Emmet, an average builder who loves life, but is starting to feel that he is nothing special.

Then, through a case of mistaken identity (or is it?), he ends up getting sucked in to a battle to save the world as the hero who may not be who the heroes (including Will Arnett's Batman and Elizabeth Banks Wyldstyle) want, but may be exactly who they need.  

The LEGO Movie includes a slew of characters from the many universes that the famed toy company has brought to life. And to mark this momentous occasion, we're giving our grand prize winner a LEGO prize pack for the ages. 

Our grand prize winner will receive two The LEGO Movie adult tees, an Emmet youth tee, a Wyldstyle youth tee, one Cinch bag, The LEGO Movie Getaway Glider Kit, The LEGO Movie Melting Room Kit, two The LEGO Movie sticker books, three Mini-Figure Key Chains -- 1 each of Emmet, Wyldstyle and Bad Cop and three The LEGO Movie Minifigure blind packs

Use the widget below to enter on Facebook or Twitter. There are three unique ways to enter, and by entering all three ways you can increase your chance at winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our grand prize and runner-up winners will be selected at random on February 10. Good luck!

Don’t forget to visit the The LEGO Movie official site for more on the new film. And to further stay informed on all things The LEGO Movie, check out The LEGO Movie Facebook page, follow The LEGO Movie on Twitter and follow @wbpictures on Twitter.

You can also sign up for Warner Bros. special offers, be the first to know movie news, updates and more at:

The LEGO Movie Synopsis:

The LEGO Movie, the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, opens in theaters February 7, 2014.

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), it stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.

The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

Chris Pratt (Moneyball) stars as the voice of Emmet. Will Ferrell (The Campaign) stars as the voice of his primary adversary, President Business, an uptight CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with micro-managing his own life; while Liam Neeson (Taken and Taken 2, Oscar nominee for Schindler’s List) voices the president’s powerful henchman, known as Bad Cop/Good Cop, who will stop at nothing to catch Emmet.

Starring as Emmet’s fellow travelers are Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), as Vitruvius, an old mystic; Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Emmy nominee for 30 Rock), as tough-as-nails Wyldstyle, who mistakes Emmet for the savior of the world and guides him on his quest; Will Arnett (Emmy nominee, 30 Rock), as the mysterious Batman, a LEGO minifigure with whom Wyldstyle shares a history; Nick Offerman (NBC’s Parks and Recreation) as a craggy, swaggering pirate obsessed with revenge on President Business; Alison Brie (NBC’s Community) as a sweet, loveable member of the team, with a powerful secret, and Charlie Day as the spaceman Benny.

Directors Phil Lord & Christopher Miller also wrote the screenplay, from a story by Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, based on LEGO construction toys. It will incorporate some of the LEGO world’s most popular figures while introducing several new characters, inviting fans who have enjoyed the brand’s innovative toys and hugely popular video games for generations to experience their visually unique LEGO world as never seen before.

The LEGO Movie is produced by Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and Roy Lee (The Departed, How to Train Your Dragon). The executive producers are Jill Wilfert, Matthew Ashton, Kathleen Fleming, Allison Abbate, Zareh Nalbandian, Jon Burton, Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Seanne Winslow, Matt Skiena and Bruce Berman; and co-producer John Powers Middleton.

The creative filmmaking team includes cinematographer Pablo Plaisted, production designer Grant Freckelton, editors David Burrows and Chris McKay, and composer Mark Mothersbaugh. Emmy Award winner Chris McKay (Robot Chicken) also serves as animation co-director.

The LEGO Movie is a Warner Bros Pictures Presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with LEGO System A/S, a Vertigo Entertainment/Lin Pictures Production. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

The LEGO Movie Prize Pack Release and Indemnification:

By entering the sweepstakes, entrants release and hold harmless Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and each of its respective parents, divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents and advertising agencies (collectively,  “WBEI” ) from and against any and all losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the sweepstakes or participation in any sweepstakes-related activity (including without limitation the removal from the site of, or discontinuation of access to, any materials), or resulting directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize awarded in connection with the sweepstakes, including without limitation personal injury, death, and/or property damage, as well as claims based on publicity rights, defamation, and/or invasion of privacy.

Limitation of liability:

In no event will the WBEI be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including without limitation direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, arising out of any access to and/or use of the sweepstakes site, the downloading from and/or printing material downloaded from the sweepstakes site, the removal from the sweepstakes site of, or discontinuation of access to, any materials, or the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of, or any harm resulting from the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of, or participation in, any prize awarded in connection with the sweepstakes. Without limiting the foregoing, the sweepstakes, all prizes, and all materials provided on or through the site “are provided as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

One of the biggest pet peeves of any audience member Movie Fanatic has ever spoken to is the proliferation of movie trailers before their actual movie begins. Not only are these movie teasers way too long, but they continually give away too much of the plot (like the recent Endless Love trailer). Now, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) has asked the Hollywood studios to literally… cut it out!

They’ve established a list of rules for studios to abide for, and if they don’t, NATO is threatening to pull trailers all-together from their movie presentations. Another aspect of the trailer world they are seeking to curtail is the how trailers can often arrive a full year before the movie even comes out!

Here are the NATO “voluntary” rules:

• Marketing materials cannot be displayed until 4 months before a release date.
• Trailers must be shorter than two minutes (unlike the recent theatrical Rio 2 trailer).
• Trailers cannot be shown until 5 months before a release date.
• Each studio can break the rules for 2 eagerly anticipated movies per year.

Several things come to mind. One, since this is voluntary, we’re not sure that the Hollywood movie studios will abide. Secondly, theater owners get paid to present trailers and have you met anyone in a business that was trying to make money that turned down an influx of income? Third, with the arrival of the internet, trailers can be seen on demand whenever a viewer wants and that means that the theaters might be shooting themselves in the foot and driving more audience members away from theaters.

But still, it is a common complaint from movie-goers that there are too many trailers, they are too long and they give away too much. Stay tuned, as Movie Fanatic believes this story is just getting going. 

Tell us...

Are movie trailers too long and tell too much? 

Terry Gilliam, besides being a founding member of the comedy troupe that gave us Monty Python's The Holy Grail, has forged quite a career as a visionary filmmaker. His stamp is unique and always mind-blowing. From Brazil to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and 12 Monkeys, you always know when you’re watching a Gilliam film. His latest, The Zero Theorem, has debuted its first trailer, and it is as one would expect -- mind expanding.  

The Zero Theorem Trailer

Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) stars as a computer hacker who is endlessly searching for the meaning of life. He’s not necessarily finding it in his day job, mostly because he is distracted by his boss, known only as Management, who is a dark figure helming a faceless and giant corporation. 

Bad Grandpa was not only a true blockbuster hit at the box office, but now it can call itself an Oscar nominee! The Johnny Knoxville movie earned its nod for Best Makeup and it was so deserved. Now with the film arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray tomorrow, January 28, Movie Fanatic has a chance for four lucky winners to take home a copy of the Blu-Ray. And for one grand prize winner, your Blu-Ray will be signed by Knoxville. The grand prize winner will also receive a Dickhouse sweatshirt!

Dickhouse is the company behind Jackass, which produced Bad Grandpa, and as you can tell from the Bad Grandpa trailer, although this film has a whole lot of heart, it still is the rambunctious and raucous fun that one would expect from a Jackass movie.

To enter, use the widget below to enter on Facebook or Twitter. There are three unique ways to enter, and by entering all three ways you can increase your chance at winning!

Be sure to enter now, this contest ends February 4.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Marc Webb certainly scored with the first The Amazing Spider-Man, and as is the case with any sequel, the stakes are higher for the next one. Judging by that first The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer, he has taken the challenge and he's running with it. “It’s huge. We’re pushing the levels of effects, the level of action and the emotional capacity of this kid,” Webb told Total Film.

Webb promises that the story and everything, frankly, from the film will be on a much bigger scale. One would argue that it has to be. Given the response to the first one in answering the question of whether we needed another Spider-Man so quickly after Tobey Maguire took off the suit, the fact that he is taking the story further into sequel territory has to have the ante raised.

“It’s an aggressive step forward. We throw around the term ‘operatic’ because of the spectacle and the theatre involved, which is pretty epic. There are enormous sets and great set-pieces,” Webb added. In the end, though, he realizes that much of the hook of any movie is scored with the connection between characters and he has two in The Amazing Spider-Man world that have done that.

“But really, it’s a very intimate song – this relationship between Peter and Gwen is very delicate and beautiful.”

Last Vegas features five Oscar winners starring together in one movie for the first time. Movie Fanatic has an exclusive clip from the Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen starring comedy that is out today on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Our Last Vegas clip is called It’s Going to be Legendary: Off and Running and it could not be a better moniker for our exclusive spot. It features Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas introducing a clip where Freeman’s character places half of his entire pension on a Vegas casino blackjack table, and what his victory does more than anything else… is get our story “off and running!”

Last Vegas Exclusive Clip

As seen in that hilarious Last Vegas trailer, the story follows four old pals who get together for their friend’s (Douglas) bachelor party when he announces that he is finally getting married. They may be old, but these guys still got a lot of party and kick left in them! When Freeman wins big at the casino, they’re comped a massive penthouse suite and the party truly becomes… wait for it, legendary! 

The Thor: The Dark World DVD and Blu-Ray arrives February 25, and a clip was just released that will surely put smiles on faces far and wide. The clip is a variation on a scene that actually made it into the theatrical version where a certain someone makes a cameo (spoilers ahead if you have yet to see the film).

Tom Hiddleston stars as Loki for the third time, and it is a turn that landed him atop our Top 10 Movie Villains of 2013 list. In this deleted scene, he takes on the costume of the First Avenger, Captain America!

Thor The Dark World Clip: Loki as Captain American

In Thor: The Dark World, our Marvel hero must trust his villainous brother because he needs his help destroying one who is a common enemy to both of them, Malekith.

When it comes to the reaction to the news that Ben Affleck is Batman, the actor keenly understands. He shared the feeling. “When they asked if I would be Batman, I told them I didn't see myself in the role and I was going to have to beg off. They said I'd fit well into how they were going to approach the character and asked me to look at what the writer-director, Zack Snyder, was doing,” Affleck told Playboy in a recent interview.

"I don't want to give away too much, but the idea for the new Batman is to redefine him in a way that doesn't compete with the Bale and Chris Nolan Batman but still exists within the Batman canon. It will be an older and wiser version, particularly as he relates to Henry Cavill's Superman character."

Sounds like Affleck has given this some serious thought, and given what we said about 5 reasons Ben Affleck as Batman will work, it appears that we’re on the same page as Affleck and Snyder!

"The stuff was incredible,” Affleck said of what he’s seen so far of Snyder’s Batman.

“It was a unique take on Batman that was still consistent with the mythology. It made me excited. All of a sudden I had a reading of the character. When people see it, it will make more sense than it does now or even than it did to me initially."

We were pretty excited about Quentin Tarantino returning to the Western genre after he just killed it with Django Unchained. He was all set to make The Hateful Eight, and even had rumored stars in mind, such as Bruce Dern and Christoph Waltz. Then, someone leaked The Hateful Eight script and the filmmaker shelved it. Now, he’s fighting back. Given that he only handed the script out to a handful of people, who to sue? How about the publication that published it? Gawker, you are in Tarantino’s sights.

He has filed a suit against the media company for posting his script, when it wasn’t even done, and for participating in the “business of predatory journalism, violating people’s right to make a buck. This time they’ve gone too far,” Tarantino said in his complaint.

“Rather than merely publishing a news story reporting that Plaintiff’s screenplay may have been circulating in Hollywood without permission, Gawker Media crossed the journalistic line by promoting itself to the public as the first source to read the entire screenplay illegally. Their headline boasts, ‘Here is the leaked Quentin Tarantino Hateful Eight Script.’"

See, someone had to pay, and although he can come off as fun and boyish, we wouldn't want to be on Tarantino's bad side.

Got Tarantino on the brain? Watch Pulp Fiction online and get your fix… legally!

Hot on the heels of those X-Men: Days of Future Past photos that gave us our first look at Quicksilver and the previously posted first look at Sentinels, we’ve got the third installment of the Empire Magazine 25th anniversary release of 25 photos from X-Men: Days of Future Past. With this release, we’ve got not one, but two Wolverines: The killer looking “future” Wolverine and…

The “past” Wolverine!

Empire is also featuring a look at the director of the series, Bryan Singer.

And lastly, we have portraits of two veterans of the series that are at the top of fans’ list of favorites, Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto!

Look for X-Men: Days of Future Past in theaters May 23. 

Vin Diesel took to his Facebook page to update his 63 million-plus followers (yeah, that) on the world of Riddick. It seems that Riddick is knocking on the door of the heralded $100 million club -- its box office so far is $98 million. “I’m just excited and happy, and I’m shouting out to you guys to say thank you,” Diesel said.

Universal Studios has clearly noticed, and there is also some news when it comes to the Riddick DVD.

“Universal just called me and told me Riddick is number one on the DVD charts. There’s no way Riddick would have been made without you guys. You know that. And you guys have been part of our page since 2012 and remember how arduous a road it was to get the movie made, and to make it rated R, and to do it with such a low budget. It’s a win for all of us and I really, really thank you so much.”

Then, came the big news! “Universal also says they want to develop the next one!”