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Earlier today we pointed you toward some "Watchmen" concept art by comics artist David Finch, mentioning that the movie's promotional machine seemed to be kicking into high gear lately. Well, it looks like we were right, and that wasn't all of the new "Watchmen" material hitting the 'Net today.

Case in point: This video claiming to be a "1970 edition of NBS Nightly News" that popped up on the grid just a few hours ago.

So, what is this mysterious new video? Read more...

Tags watchmen

While there's been no shortage of attention given to Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight," the record-breaking sequel to "Batman Begins" might've never come to be if it wasn't for the success of director Christopher Nolan's first cape-and-cowl tale -- and the portrayal of its villain, Ra's Al Ghul, by Liam Neeson.

MTV caught up with Neeson during the Sundance Film Festival, and got his thoughts on both "The Dark Knight" and a potential return for his "immortal" character from the first film.

"You never know," said Neeson of the likelihood that he'll reprise the role of Ra's Al Ghul. When asked whether Nolan has his number, Neeson answered, "He does, actually." Read more...

Tags batman 3, batman begins, liam neeson, the dark knight

Now that we can safely look forward to "Watchmen" hitting theaters March 6, the promotional machine has been chugging away. We've already seen a new "Watchmen" TV trailer this week, as well as a new "Watchmen" movie website and a website for Rorschach's favorite publication, The New Frontiersman. Now it looks like we'll see a collection of the concept art from the film hitting shelves early next month from Titan Books.

Titled "Watchmen: The Art of the Film," the book promises to provide a behind-the-scenes peek at how the look of the film developed over time. Over at SuperHeroHype, you can check out one of the original concept drawings for Nite Owl II (played by Patrick Wilson), created by one of the comics scene's most sought-after artists, David Finch. (We've posted a small portion of the sketch below.)

You can head over to SHH for the full sketch, as well as a comparative photo of the final Nite Owl II costume. More details about the book are posted after the jump. Read more...

Tags david finch, watchmen

Around 2007, rumors of a possible revamp of longtime pulp stalwart "The Shadow" began popping up around the message boards, fueled by veteran producer Michael Uslan's insistence that this time around he'd be offering fans a take on the character that's more true to his roots. Then, when word got out that Sam Raimi was onboard as a fellow producer, fans knew this vision of The Shadow would be vastly different from the 1994 offering.

For those of you holding out hope that Uslan would stay true to his word about a new take on the character, you won't be disappointed.

"I think the one thing going in is we all see The Shadow as more of a force of nature than a specific person in a secret identity," Uslan told MTV in an exclusive interview. "The Shadow may actually be many people." Read more...

Tags michael uslan, the shadow

At the age of 14, Dakota Fanning is already one of Hollywood's most bankable young actors, thanks to roles in blockbusters such as "War of the Worlds" and "Charlotte's Web." However, her starring role in "Push," the upcoming, comics-inspired thriller about government-trained psychics on the run from a shadowy agency, offers up a decidedly more mature part for the teen to play.

In an interview with MTV, "Push" director Paul McGuigan said he had few doubts about Fanning's talent and her ability to play Cassie Holmes, a snarky, teenage "watcher" who can glimpse images of the future. In fact, McGuigan told MTV, he insisted on working with the actress.

"When I read the movie, the character that stood out was her character," said McGuigan. "I said to everyone, I can't do this movie unless Dakota Fanning's going to do it, because to me she was perfect for the role." Read more...

Tags dakota fanning, paul mcguigan, push

It's been a few months since we've heard from the "Sleeper" camp -- no, not the 1973 Woody Allen flick, but the upcoming superhero crime thriller based on Ed Brubaker's groundbreaking DC/Wildstorm series. For those who didn't catch the announcement last year, "Sleeper" will be produced by Sam Raimi with Tom Cruise attached to star.

SCI FI Wire had the chance to catch up with Brubaker recently, and from the sounds of things, it looks like "Sleeper" is beginning to quickly wake up on the Hollywood front.

"They have a screenwriter hired," Brubaker said in the SCI FI Wire story, in reference to Brad Ingelsby, who was hired to script the adaptation back in October. "I talked to a producer yesterday, actually, when I was down here, just to make sure it was still happening. He said, 'Oh, not only is it still happening, but it's even more still happening because Tom Cruise's 'Valkyrie' did well.'" Read more...

Tags ed brubaker, sam raimi, sleeper, tom cruise

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you know that the U.S. economy isn't doing so hot right now. Since you're here for the latest comic book movie news, we'll spare you our personal politics on the state of the dollar -- but we will direct your attention to a just-published report explaining how the nation's economic woes are affecting some of 2010's most anticipated projects, including "Iron Man 2."

According to Variety, major studios will be "proceeding cautiously" in the coming months in terms of greenlighting projects or continuing with currently in-production ones, partly because of a possible SAG strike, but mostly due to the economy. Specifically, the piece points to "Iron Man 2" as an example, saying that potential "Iron Man 2" villain Mickey Rourke was given a low-ball offer of $250,000, and that Samuel L. Jackson may have been offered a similar low quote, leading him to say he might not return to the franchise as Nick Fury just last week. Read more...

Tags iron man 2, mickey rourke, samuel l jackson

When “Watchmen” adapts Alan Moore’s uniquely dark vision of the superhero genre to film this year, audiences would do well to prepare themselves to see some of the ugliest sides of human behavior that come with it. In the “Watchmen” comics, one of the heaviest flinch-inducing moments comes from a flashback scene involving the rape of Minutemen member Silk Spectre by her teammate, The Comedian. The actor portraying The Comedian, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, confirmed to MTV that director Zack Snyder did not overlook the event’s significance.

“It was a three-day process shooting that particular scene, and it was hard,” Morgan told MTV News. “It was three of the hardest days of filming I have ever had to do. It was really very violent.” Read more...

Tags jeffrey dean morgan, watchmen

As the film's premiere date of February 6 draws ever closer, it looks as though the folks at Summit Entertainment are beginning to do a full-court marketing press for "Push," the supernatural thrill-ride starring Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Chris Evans and Djimon Hounsou. After releasing a series of TV spots and extended clips from "Push" last week, Summit hits us once again today with an all-new, action-packed TV trailer -- and we do mean "action-packed." Take a look for yourself below:

With its own prequel comic and a set of super-powered characters that would give the X-Men a run, there's a lot for comics fans to like about this project. Read more...

Tags push

As all of comicdom waits for Thursday, when the official nominees are announced for this year's Academy Awards, the film industry continues to heap praise on 2008's slate of films based on comic books. So far, we've seen "The Dark Knight" receive recognition from various industries -- including nods from the Directors, Screen Actors and Writers Guilds just to name a few (and not to mention, a Golden Globe win for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker).

However, with today's announcement of the nominees for the 7th annual Visual Effects Society Awards, "Iron Man" and "Hellboy II" get their chance to join "The Dark Knight" in the awards spotlight. Read more...

Tags hellboy 2, iron man, the dark knight