Chris Pine managed to play a convincingly confident Captain Kirk, somehow managing to preserve William Shatner's strut while also adding a comedically sharp self-awareness.  Having accomplished the major feat of reinvigorating James Tiberius Kirk in Star Trek, Pine is at the center of a new reboot for Paramount Pictures.

At the end of this year, we'll see Pine's take on the title character in Jack Ryan, but right now, we've got a pair of pictures from the film showing off Pine, as well as Kevin Costner.

Scheduled to open in theaters on November 8th is the highly anticipated sequel to Thor entitled Thor: The Dark World, which will mark the second film released in Marvel Studios' Phase Two. The new installment was directed by Alan Taylor (Kill The Poor) and based on a screenplay by Captain America: The First Avenger scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and popular Marvel Comics writer Christopher Yost. The sequel features returning cast members Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Stellan Skarsgard (Dr, Erik Selvig), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Ray Stevenson (Volstagg), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun), Jaimie Alexander (Sif), Rene Russo (Frigga), and Anthony Hopkins (Odin), as well as new cast members Christopher Eccleston (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (The Thing), and Zachary Levi (Tangled). 

IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had the pleasure of sitting down with the beautiful Jaimie Alexander while she was promoting her new movie The Last Stand, which opens on January 18th and also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. While we will run our interview with Alexander regarding The Last Stand closer to the films release date, we wanted to let you know now what the actress had to say about her work on Thor: The Dark World. The talented actress discussed the upcoming sequel, when she finished shooting, where we find the characters after the events of The Avengers, the darker tone of the film, more character development for Sif, exploring her possible romantic relationship with Thor, returning to the franchise without Thor director Kenneth Branagh, Marvel Comics scribe Christopher Yost's contributions to the project, and the addition of actor Zachary Levi as Warriors Three member Fandrai. 

With The Avengers, we know that the hammer-wielding Asgardian deity can handle being part of a team onscreen.  Before once again taking orders from Captain America in The Avengers 2, though, Thor Odinson will hurl Mjolnir around all over again in Thor: The Dark World.  Currently in production in London, the sequel is set for next November, and Chris Hemsworth is talking about returning to the role for time number three.

Several weeks back, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions made it exceedingly clear that the espionage reboot Jack Ryan started principal photography.  It did so with two slick, separately-released images, one showing Chris Pine riding a motorcycle around Manhattan and another of he and Kevin Costner hanging around a helicopter.

Despite making it known that Jack Ryan is definitely shooting, Paramount and Skydance have now officially announced that production is underway.  That bit of redundant information is just one part of a Ryan update that includes casting and some new unofficial set photos of Pine and Keira Knightley.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions really, really want you to know that, after a lot of time spent getting a script that was up to snuff, Jack Ryan is now shooting in Manhattan.  On Friday, an official publicity still showed Chris Pine in action as the rebooted hero of many an espionage novel and movie.  In order to be absolutely certain that we're all clear on the fact that Jack Ryan is definitely, for sure happening right now, we have another image, aagain featuring Pine, this time in the company of Kevin Costner.

After filling William Shatner's boots as Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams's rebooted Star Trek, Chris Pine is taking over another familiar hero, but this time he's staying terrestrial.  Paramount Pictures has unveiled a first look image of Pine in action as the title character in Jack Ryan, and lest you think Ryan was always an upstanding CIA analyst, here he's riding a Ducati...without a helmet.

Kenneth Branagh is both an actor and a director, so it's fitting that he'll both act and direct in the tentatively titled Jack Ryan.  Paramount Pictures is looking to reinvigorate the much-loved character from Tom Clancy's novels and four different movies, with a younger Ryan once again getting involved in international espionage.  Current James Tiberius Kirk Chris Pine is set to star as the sometimes-CIA analyst, and Branagh is in talks to go head-to-head with Pine as the film's arch villain.

With The Avengers, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, has now served as the principal antagonist for two Marvel movies, so we couldn't expect that he'd be shouldering the villainous burden alone for a third time.  Thor 2 is set to be Marvel Studios' second post-Avengers movie, and it looks the studio and director Alan Taylor have found an actor to play a new villain, as a familiar bad guy is in talks to join the cosmic party.

Paramount has been planning a rebooted adventure for Tom Clancy's signature character, Jack Ryan, for some time now.  The studio found its Ryan in Chris Pine following his terrific turn as James Tiberius Kirk in 2009's Star Trek, but getting the project off the ground hasn't been so easy.  Last week it suffered what could've been a big setback when it lost its director, but apparently Paramount found a replacement right quick.

Unlike the seasons that pass annually in nature thanks to the tilt of Earth's axis and its course through the solar system, awards season culminates in a climactic event that epitomizes nearly everything associated with the yearly handing out of statuettes and accolades.  The 84th annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place this Sunday at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, where Billy Crystal will host the proceedings for the ninth time in a telecast produced by Brian Grazer.