Category: Visual Effects

Writer Hadley Davis is drafting the script for a teen movie adaptation of Zatanna, the DC Comics sorceress, reports SCI FI WIRE.

"It's sort of an obscure DC Comic book," Davis said in an interview. "Well, I say that, and then people who know comic books know the comic. It has existed for years and years, but she is a female magician. It's for Warner Bros. and [producer] Denise DiNovi, and we've made her sort of a teen magician."

Warner Bros. has agreed to produce M. Night Shyamalans next fantasy thriller LADY IN THE WATER, the trades report. THE VILLAGE filmmaker will write and direct as well as produce along with Blinding Edge Pictures Sam Mercer. All of the thrill masters pics since THE SIXTH SENSE have been made with Walt Disney, however both parties past on working on LADY together.

CG Academy has just released a second 3ds max training DVD in its MAXScript Fundamentals 2 series. Borislav Bobo Petrov continues his exploration of the wonderful world of MAXScript. In this DVD Petrov applies MAXScript to many real-world tasks where doing things by hand would be slow and laborious, bringing to bear the power of MAXScript on the masses of objects, lights and materials found in a typical 3dsmax scene.

!mpossible Pictures has promoted editor James Frazier to director of operations and welcomes a new addition, designer/editor Heather Arment, to the team.

James has been an integral part of the company and our clients have expressed enthusiasm seeing him move to the next level in handling day-to-day operations, said Steve Urbano, !mpossible Pictures vp/director. Heather makes a terrific addition to our team with her great energy and originality. Shes one-of-a-kind and brings unique experiences in design, filmmaking, and editing.

Thomas Haden Church, who was most recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in SIDEWAYS, has been cast as Spider-Man's new adversary in SPIDER-MAN 3. The announcement was made by Sam Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios' Avi Arad, however the identity of the villain Church will play is being kept secret. Production is set to begin early next year with the film to be released on May 4, 2007.

20th Century Fox has confirmed rumors that British helmer Matthew Vaughn has been hired to direct X-MEN 3, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter will produce. Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg have written the script. Hugh Jackman has already signed on to reprise his role as Wolverine and the studio is in talks with Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart. The film is expected to start lensing in mid-July and will hit theaters May 26, 2006.

Sony Pictures is in talks with Marvel Ent. to adapt Marvel's lesser-known comicbook KILLRAVEN into a sci-fi tentpole feature, reports VARIETY. Sony is already in talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (THE KENTUCKY CYCLE) to adapt the 1970s series. If the film goes forward, Marvel's head Avi Arad would produce with Angryfilms' Don Murphy. Marvels Kevin Feige would exec produce.

Desktop Images announced the availability of the Visual FX Series, 3D EFFECTS COMPOSTING and SET EXTENSIONS, a step-by-step instructional DVD set for mastering the essential skills of seamlessly integrating computer generated 3D elements with live-action footage.

Texas Instruments (TI) DLP Cinema technology, the digital cinema projection technology deployed in movie theatres worldwide, assisted the directors and visual effects team of Miramax's and Dimension Films' SIN CITY during post-production to achieve the desired comic-book feel of the movie. Directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller relied upon DLP Cinema projectors to ensure rich and consistent color in the movie.