The long search is finally over for the next Superman. Latino Review originally broke the news over the weekend and VARIETY confirmed that director Brian Singer has chosen relative unknown Brandon Routh to don the red cape. A contract has not been signed, but production hopes to start shooting in Australia in November. Routh has had roles on television series ONE LIFE TO LIVE, GILMORE GIRLS, WILL & GRACE and COLD CASE. He will make his film debut in the forthcoming thriller DEADLY.

The New York vfx scene has just got more competitive with the formation of Massive Industries, a division of creative design collective PSYOP that is co-founded by former Method Studios vfx artist Chris Staves and exec producer Justin Lane. Massive brings to New York expertise for “ultra-progressive” vfx along with high-end design.

Ellen Wolff recently spoke with Sony Imageworks president Tim Sarnoff about his three-pronged approach to 3D: photoreal vfx, CG animation and the new performance capture hybrid introduced in POLAR EXPRESS, ImageMotion. The unifying 3D thread at Sony that binds all three businesses together, according to Sarnoff, is character animation. And the secret of Sony’s success? The fact that all three businesses work together in a flexible balance?

Sci Fi Channel has partnered with exec producers Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (MEDICAL INVESTIGATION, THE PRETENDER) to develop TIN MAN, a four-hour miniseries that puts a sci-fi twist on the fantasy classic, WIZARD OD OZ. Mitchell and Van Sickle have also co-written the screenplay.

Industrial Light & Magic recently opened its MoCap studio in San Rafael, California, to give journalists a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of VAN HELSING, which arrives on DVD Oct. 19, 2004.

Side Effects Software and Sony Pictures Imageworks announced they will co-host the upcoming Los Angeles SIGGRAPH chapter meeting where Imageworks will talk about how Houdini software was used to generate the visual effects in SPIDER-MAN 2. The meeting will take place at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Oct.

Corel Corp. acquired Jasc Software Inc., the award-winning developer of the Paint Shop family of digital-photography and image-editing software. A critical milestone in Corel's ongoing growth strategy, this acquisition follows four consecutive quarters of profitability and a successfully completed turnaround since Corel was taken private in August 2003.

Independent-minded effects studio CaféFX helped design the mysterious fantasy world of Eric Small's directorial debut, THE DUST FACTORY, the indie film currently being distributed by MGM.

THE DUST FACTORY is an adventure about the love and friendship between two teenagers who help each other through a difficult time in their lives.

UWPictures/O-Group, Ltd. and Three Kings Ent. have optioned YOUNG MERLIN, written by Robert Kahn. The coming-of-age story of Merlin, envisioned as the first chapter in a three-part franchise, is a live-action feature combined with CG. Purchase price for the film, budgeted at $25 million, was mid-six figures. The project will shoot in the U.K. at the end of the year.

The inaugural UK CGI Festival announced its final speakers participating at the two shows scheduled for Nov. 9-10, 2004, in Leeds (at the Royal Amouries Museum) and Dec. 7-8 in London (at the Business Design Centre).

The focus will be on educational and practical approaches to both CGI techniques and technologies. Workshops and masterclasses will be lead by top talent. In addition, award-winning animated films developed in Europe will be showcased, and there will be an expo featuring the latest tools and techniques.

The Leeds show will include:

Rushes Postproduction Ltd. has appointed Danny Jones as senior producer. As well as fulfilling his day-to-day responsibilities as Senior Producer, Jones will help to ensure clients understand the full range of options available to them across Rushes HD, SD, inferno, flame, fire and 2K Spirit and C Reality suites.

George Lucas has been selected by the American Film Institute's (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Lucas at a gala tribute in Los Angeles in June 2005.

"I've been very fortunate to have had a long career doing what I love to do, and being recognized by AFI for it is really an honor," Lucas said. "I'm proud to be counted among such an extraordinary group of people whose lives are dedicated to the art of making movies."

The Hollywood Film Festival's Board of Advisors has announced the nominees for the 2004 "Hollywood Film Awards" competition. The announcement was made today in Hollywood by Carlos de Abreu, founder/exec director of the Hollywood Film Festival.

"This year's Hollywood Film Festival continues its tradition of honoring the very best talent within our community. It is a celebration of all aspects of Hollywood filmmaking and the artists who help to create its lasting legacy on our culture," festival co-chair Paula Wagner said.

Now through Dec. 31, 2004, BOXX Technologies is offering special pricing on 3ds max 7 software to customers in the United States who purchase a BOXX certified 3ds max 7 workstation. Call BOXX toll free at 877-877-BOXX or 512-835-0400 for more details.

Hot on the heels of cementing development deals with Ridley Scott and Frank Darabont, Sci Fi Channel partners with former head of development for New Line and DreamWorks Michael De Luca (MAGNOLIA, RUSH HOUR, BLADE) on his first-ever television project. An original miniseries event, DARWIN'S CHILDREN explores what happens when the next step of human evolution becomes a threat to our very existence. The project is based on the best-selling Greg Bear novels, DARWIN'S RADIO and DARWIN'S CHILDREN.

Sun Microsystems Inc. and NVIDIA Corp. have joined forces to deliver leading NVIDIA Quadro graphics solutions on Sun Java workstations running Solaris, Windows or Linux operating systems. Through this alliance, Sun has bundled NVIDIA technology with its recently announced Sun Java Workstations W1100z and W2100z, based on the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture.

iHollywood Forum is hosting its 3rd Annual Digital Studio Summit in association with the American Film Market (AFM). Animation World Network is sponsoring the event and VFXWorld’s editor Bill Desowitz will be moderating a panel on SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.

Ubisoft and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group announced plans to release an interactive game based on Universal Pictures’ upcoming KING KONG, directed by Peter Jackson. The game will be available worldwide on all platforms at the beginning of the holiday season in conjunction with the Dec. 14, 2005 theatrical release of the movie.

Aided by its normal mapping feature, one of the most important advancements in 3D game development with crossover application in film and design visualization cinematics, Discreet’s 3ds max 7 begins shipping Oct. 13, 2004.

This major release delivers significant advancements and optimizations to its core features that will greatly enhance the workflow for 3D artists and designers in film, television, games and visualization.

A few years ago, 3D animator Justin Leach shared his experiences in Japan at Production I.G with AWN. That was prior to his involvement on the recently released GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE. Now he returns with excerpts from his personal production diary about working on the acclaimed anime, which VFXWORLD is pleased to bring its readers.