With just three weeks until the sequel actually arrives in theaters, a big haul of images from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance have appeared online.  There are over seventy-five total, so we're just providing a sampling here, but even so, the stills give a sense of how different the film will be from its predecessor, 2007's Ghost Rider.

Sony Pictures has revealed a new official synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man, the second cinematic retelling of Spidey's origin story.  That's not how the studio would like audiences to think of the film, though, and the marketing effort so far has pushed hard to tonally distance this new film Sam Raimi's three Spider-Man pictures.  When they hear about the film, most moviegoers don't necessarily get all excited about seeing another origin story, so the approach here has been to focus on the notion that this is "an untold story."

A few weeks ago I was asked if I would be interested in interviewing actor Richard Schiff, and I of course jumped at the chance. Who wouldn’t want to talk to one of the finest character actors working in the business today? In his impressive, almost thirty-year long career, he has appeared in such popular and critically acclaimed films as Malcolm X, Seven, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, I Am Sam, Ray, and Solitary Man. But the actor will always be best known to TV fans for his Emmy Award winning performance as Toby Ziegler on The West Wing, unarguably one of the greatest television shows ever created. So knowing that I was going to be speaking to the actor soon, I was pleasantly surprised when it was announced on Tuesday that Mr. Schiff would be playing the pivotal role of Dr. Hamilton in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel.

Marvel's psychopathic, gun-toting vigilante The Punisher served as the basis for three unconnected feature films, starring, in chronological order, Dolph Lundgren (The Punisher), Thomas Jane (also The Punisher), and Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone).  The character is seriously messed up, a war veteran who cracked after the murder of his family's brutal murder and dedicated his life to wiping out bad guys with extreme prejudice and absolutely no moral ambiguity.  Well, audiences may not have been too keen on the character in any of his theatrical adventures, but Fox is hoping he can anchor a police procedural television series, as the network has just ordered a pilot for The Punisher, which tweaks the sociopathic formula a bit.

Comic books have become a rich resource that Hollywood has been tapping into for many years now. While Superman first took flight in the late ‘70s, and Batman began patrolling Gotham on the big screen in the ‘80s, the super hero movie genre really took off in the last decade with film franchises like Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight. With the recent prequel X-Men: First Class, the upcoming reboot The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, and The Avengers on the horizon … it doesn’t seem like the genre is going away anytime soon. So here at IAR, any time we have the opportunity to speak with someone in the comic book industry about their latest project, comic book adapted movies and the marriage of Hollywood and comics, we’re going to jump at the chance.

Comic book writer Brandon Thomas is best known for his work on popular mainstream comic books like Spider-Man Unlimited, Marvel Age Fantastic Four, and Tales of The Thing for Marvel, and Robin for DC Comics. However, the popular scribe has recently seen his longtime passion project, The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury: Time Runs Out, finally hit shelves in a new hardcover edition from Archaia Entertainment. The graphic novel follows the futuristic adventures of the title character, a sci-fi hero who comes from a long line of heroic heritage.

At the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, merchandisers from all over the world come together to get a look at properties with the potential for tie-in merch.  The licensing bonanza begins today, and a poster from The Avengers for the expo has made its way online.  It's not a theatrical poster, but does feature the whole team together, including our first idea of what Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye outfit will look like, as well as a clear look at the modernized version of the Captain America costume worn by Chris Evans.

Marvel Studios is moving forward with a film adaptation of their comic series Runaways, with production set to commence in March of next year, according to a tweet from Production Weekly. Shooting will take place in L.A., with Paul Sollet (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) at the helm.

"Mad Men" actress January Jones and rock and roll royalty Zoe Kravitz have both joined Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class, reports Deadline.com. The two board a cast that literally grows larger by the day - yesterday we wrote about Oliver Platt and Jason Flemyng joining up, and the day before that we touted the Rose Byrne announcement. At the moment, there are approximately 3,259 actors in the film, and there's no sign of letting up...

Thespians Oliver Platt and Jason Flemyng are the latest names added to Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class - and is it me or has this movie had the longest casting process ever? Well, in any event, the production better get moving along, because the film's June 3rd 2011 release date must loom over the team like a cloud...

Paramount Pictures likes what they see in Last Man Standing, an upcoming graphic novel from Heavy Metal Publishing that was apparently a huge hit at Comic-Con. (Yes, they actually have comics at Comic-Con.) This is looking like the next big thing comic geeks will fall in love with, and soon the same might be said for fanboys of all stripes...