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Today we continue our five-part Halloween Week retrospective on "The Crow," celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with cast and filmmaker interviews that explore its origin and legacy. Check back each day this week for another installment of our "15 Years Of Devil's Night" series.

PART TWO: JOHNNY DEPP? CHRISTIAN SLATER? BON JOVI?! CASTING ERIC DRAVEN
By Ryan J. Downey

Before "The Crow," Brandon Lee's biggest role was in "Rapid Fire," an above-average action flick carried mostly by his grace, charm and combination of various martial arts styles years before the phrase "MMA" was popularized. His other credits included "Showdown in Little Tokyo" opposite Dolph Lundgren, little seen low-budget foreign action flicks "Laser Mission" and "Legacy of Rage" and the televised "Kung Fu: The Movie," with David Carradine.

Brandon dropped nearly 40 lbs. to play Eric Draven and was deeply involved in his characterization and fight choreography. His performance was at once natural yet supernatural in style throughout the film, which would define his legacy and remove him from the shadow of his famous father. Here, one of the producers, one of the writers, and one of the actors in the film reflect on Lee's casting and contributions. Read more...

Tags halloween 2009, jeff most, John Shirley, jon polito, the crow, the crow: 15 years of devil's night

Ever since the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” debuted in 1984, their original adventures have always had a home at Mirage Studios. However, with the recent sale of the “Turtles” rights to Nickelodeon, the future of Mirage Studios is no longer clear.

In a post on Newsarama, Tristan Jones—the current writer of the “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comics—revealed that Mirage Studios, Inc. will close on December 31, 2009.

“The current crew will become independent contractors on January 1 to get the final issues out,” Jones said. “Mirage will continue to publish ‘Tales’ until the May, 2010 issue - but as of now - that’s the end of the line. Peter [Laird] did keep rights for Mirage to publish 18 ‘TMNT’ comic books per year through the direct market, which would only be based on the current Mirage Universe stuff (eg: a continuation/conclusion to Volume 4).” Read more...

Tags teenage mutant ninja turtles, tristan jones

A few months ago, we brought you the first look at the "Astonishing X-Men" motion comic based on Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's celebrated run on the Marvel comic book series. Now, with the motion comic's October 28 debut on iTunes looming, Wolverine, Cyclops and the rest of the mutant superteam will celebrate their debut in the developing medium with a big premiere this week—three stories big, in fact.

Billed as the first-ever "MarvelFest," the publisher will screen Episode #1 of the "Astonishing X-Men" motion comic on a massive screen in New York City's Union Square this Wednesday (October 28). Along with the screening, Marvel will hold a costume contest and various other Marvel-themed events offering attendees the chance to win some cool swag and, according to the official press release, the chance to be featured in a Marvel comic book.

In an exclusive interview with MTV News, Marvel president and publisher Dan Buckley shared his thoughts on the origins and intent of the event, whether it's connected to the recent deal with Disney, and if it's a sign of things to come for the publisher. Read more...

Tags astonishing x-men, dan buckley, Hot Stuff

The beleaguered production of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has reportedly been pushed back to next spring.

According to The New York Times, the later-than-expected start is indeed due to the widely reported production shutdown on the project and continuing efforts to recruit new investors to come onboard the multimillion-dollar project.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that the production of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” was back on track thanks to two new investors, Jim Stern and Norton Herrick. However, Stern told MTV News that word of his involvement was premature at best. Read more...

Tags spider-man: turn off the dark

If you're looking for any pointers on "Scott Pilgrim" character costumes for Halloween this year, Bryan Lee O'Malley spotted a couple of prime Ramona Flowers and Kim Pine examples on Flickr. They're mighty impressive. Also on the costume front, Geoff Johns continued his "Smallville" updates with a vote of confidence in Doctor Fate's look for the show, which he calls "beyond accurate."

In off-set Twitter commentary of the last 24 hours, Scott Kurtz took notice of John Cassaday's directorial gig on "Dollhouse," which he expressed some bittersweet anticipation for. Check out what they had to say, along with Chris Ryall on 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, and a free 44-page He-Man-inspired comic by Tim Seeley.

I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter Report for October 27, 2009. Read more...

Tags bryan lee o'malley, chris ryall, geoff johns, jhonen vasquez, jim lee, mitch breitweiser, rob liefeld, scott kurtz, Tim Seeley

2009 has been a busy year, which means your Halloween costume budget might be tight and you could be stuck putting something together at the last minute. Luckily, there are many outfits in comics that require little to no effort to throw together on the fly.

Superheroes have just as much need for simple wardrobes and easy-to-find costume components as we do, so here are five such ensembles that can be easily thrown together from items in your closet and minimal craftsmanship.

1. DR. MANHATTAN ("Watchmen")

Dr. Manhattan offers two alternatives—the new movie version with a black pair of Speedos, or the classic blue nude, which requires slightly less work but could get you arrested. A large-sized container of blue body paint and a little black for detailing should have you on your merry way to freaking out everyone at your Halloween festivities this season. Read more...

Tags halloween 2009, Lists

The "Michael Jackson, King Of Pop" biography comic hitting shelves tomorrow has sold out in pre-release orders and is getting a new printing, according to publisher Bluewater Productions—and we have your first look at the new cover.

Scheduled to hit shelves the same day as the massive Jackson concert documentary "This Is It," Bluewater's "King of Pop" comic book promises to "trace Jackson’s rise as a musical prodigy with the Jackson 5 through his tragic passing in June."

The new printing of the book will feature a cover by Giuseppe Mazzola from Jackson’s official fan club, who also provides the foreword to the larger, 30-page edition of the book. Bluewater has provided Splash Page readers with the first look at the cover. Read more...

Tags Michael Jackson, Photos

With Marcus Nispel officially announced as the director of "Conan," fans are simply waiting for that other shoe to drop — namely, a casting announcement for the titular Cimmerian warrior.

While nothing is official yet, the recent revelation of the film's many characters indicates that an announcement could be coming soon. Moviehole has posted casting breakdowns for "Conan," which reportedly begins filming in Bulgaria on February 15.

In addition to providing detailed information on Conan himself, the breakdowns also reveal many of the film's other character as well as some key plot information. [SPOILER ALERT!] Read more...

Tags conan

The film rights for Das Petrou and John Watkiss’ original graphic novel “Ring of Roses” have been picked up by Spice Factory and Persistent Entertainment.

According to Variety, Jason Piette and Michael L. Cowan of Spice Factory and Matthew Rhodes and Aaron Cruze of Persistent are on board to produce the film.

Originally published in 2005 by Image Comics, “Ring of Roses” takes place in an alternate world in which England is ruled by the iron hand of the church. Following the horrific murders of six high-powered priests; an ambitious lawyer and a hardened criminal are tasked to uncover the conspiracy behind the events amidst a lethal outbreak of the bubonic plague. Read more...

Tags Image Comics, Ring of Roses

Before "The Dark Knight," many fans wondered how Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker in Tim Burton's "Batman" could ever be topped, least of all by the seemingly unnatural choice of Heath Ledger. But if you believe one certain rumor, Nicholson almost lost the part to another actor—none other than Willem Dafoe.

Dafoe's IMDB page harbors a curious bit of "trivia," which states that the actor was considered for the Clown Prince of Crime in the Burton-directed "Batman." MTV News went straight to Dafoe for official word on the rumor, and while the actor said he was never considered for the Joker role, he did have an early attachment to the 1989 film.

"Very early, they talked to me about playing Batman," Dafoe told MTV News. Read more...

Tags batman, Willem Dafoe