The body-swap comedy is an age-old tradition in Hollywood that dates all the way back to the 1976 Walt Disney film Freaky Friday starring a young Jodi Foster. While that film featured a mother and daughter swapping bodies, since then we’ve seen many different versions of that idea including father and son (Vice Versa, Like Father Like Son), grandfather and grandson (18 Again), and even geek and goddess (The Hot Chick) switching lives. Now a new take on the classic comedic theme is about to hit theaters with The Change-Up, which opens on August 5^th and features two best friends (Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds) trading places in a hard R-Rated movie.

Directed by Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin, the film promises to push the hard R-rating, in a summer of R-rated comedies, and deliver an over-the-top body-swapping movie the likes of which has never been seen before. The film stars Bateman as Dave, a successful married lawyer with three young children, and Reynolds as his best friend Mitch, a part-time actor and full-time ladies man. The two friends have begun to drift apart due to their different lifestyles but after getting together for a night of drinking and catching up, the boys urinate into a “magical fountain” and make a wish to trade lives. The result: they both wake up in the other person’s body. Now, Dave and Mitch must literally step into each other’s shoes and keep up appearances until they can find a solution to their predicament.

IAR recently attended a press conference for the film, along with several other members of the press, and had a chance to speak with director David Dobkin, as well as the film’s stars Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses), Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern), and Olivia Wilde (Cowboys and Aliens).

In a bold move, Sony's Screen Gems has taken their British action/sci-fi acquisition from SXSW, the Edgar Wright produced Attack the Block, and announced that they'll be putting it in theaters in limited release the same day rival unorthodox alien vs. human film, Cowboys and Aliens will be landing on screens around the country. In addition to the two alien invasion films planned for release on the Friday after Comic-Con, The Smurfs CG/live action film will also hit theaters on July 29th. 

San Diego Comic-Con may be geek mecca, drawing more than 100,000 fans from around the world to Southern California every July, but WonderCon, Comic-Con's neighbor, is growing more popular every year.  Last year, the convention saw a spike of nearly 10,000 additional attendees, and given the comic and fantasy gathering's prime position just before summer, WonderCon is attracting increased presence from the genre-friendly film properties that now dominate Comic-Con. This weekend's WonderCon will include panels with Ryan Reynolds on Green Lantern, Jon Favreau talking up Cowboys and Aliens, and newly minted Superman Henry Cavill on Tarsem Singh's upcoming fantasy epic Immortals.

Rather than return to the Iron Man franchise for its third installment, director Jon Favreau is following up this summer's Cowboys and Aliens with Magic Kingdom, a family film set, appropriately enough, inside Disneyland.  THR's Heat Vision blog (via Cinemablend) reports that Favreau has talked to Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and all-around mack Michael Chabon about potentially rewriting the screenplay.

If we are going to recognize the best films of the year, it is only right to also recognize the best trailers of the year. Abundant amounts of money and time are put into these short film summaries, making them works of art in their own right. So here are our picks for the best trailers released in 2010:

Synopsis: 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he¿s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents – townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors – all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

If you’ve been following the promotional calendar countdown for Jon Favreau’s latest flick Cowboys & Aliens (written by Rogue Spotlight's LOST co-creator Damon Lindelof) you know the teaser trailer has finally arrived!

Based on the comic of the same name, Cowboys & Aliens is about just that, cowboys and aliens. A small western town is invaded by a ship full of aliens, and their only hope for survival is the outlaw Jake Lonergan, who’s got the tools to put these extraterrestrials to rest. I know, I know, it sounds absolutely absurd, but believe me, it looks insanely cool! Given Favreau's track record, and the all star cast involved, I'm banking on sheer awesomeness!

Saddle up ladies and gents! Cowboys & Aliens is riding into town and here is the one-sheet to prove it. And in less than two days at current press time, Dreamworks will be premiering the trailer for the film on Yahoo!

Way back at Comic Con, iamROGUE.com had the chance to talk to the film’s cast and crew, including Jon Favreau. You could feel the excitement back then! Whether you dug Iron Man 2 or not, you can’t deny the man has a flair for action and adventure, he also has a knack for telling a good story.

Lost co-creator, Damon Lindelof discusses how to deal with writer's block in our exclusive Rogue Spotlight. Did you know one of his favorite films is Bambi? Check out our Celebrity movie playlists - click here. 

The Rogue Spotlight is an original web series dedicated to profiling some of the best filmmakers, musicians, actors, and artists in the Rogue Community. Each Rogue Spotlight is a collection of insights, lessons learned, and tidbits of advice for aspiring filmmakers,creative talent, and movie buffs.

More Rogue Spotlights: http://www.iamrogue.com/rogue-tv/rogue-spotlight.html

Lost co-creator, Damon Lindelof gives advice to young writers and producers in our exclusive Rogue Spotlight. Did you know one of his favorite films is Raiders of the Lost Ark? To hear his top six favorite films - click here.  Also, be sure to check back all week to hear more from Damon about his experiences as a writer and producer in the Hollywood biz.

The Rogue Spotlight is an original web series dedicated to profiling some of the best filmmakers, musicians, actors, and artists in the Rogue Community. Each Rogue Spotlight is a collection of insights, lessons learned, and tidbits of advice for aspiring filmmakers,creative talent, and movie buffs.

More Rogue Spotlights: http://www.iamrogue.com/rogue-tv/rogue-spotlight.html