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When The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment last year, changes were bound to come — Paramount Pictures, for one, would not be the chief distributor of Marvel's films following the release of "Iron Man 3." But that timetable has changed, and the length of Paramount's relationship with Marvel has been cut even shorter.

Disney, Paramount and Marvel Studios have announced that Paramount will transfer its worldwide marketing and distribution rights for "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3" to Disney. Disney will pay Paramount $115 million for the transfer, which serves as "a minimum guarantee against the distribution fees," according to a press release.

Paramount will remain the worldwide distributor of "Thor" and "Captain America" as previously planned. Read more...

Tags iron man 3, the avengers

I'm not going to lie to you, folks. I love a good press kit.

Given my usual focus on the comics side of the comic book movie-verse, I don't get an awful lot of studio- and network-level press kits — but every now and then one arrives that more than makes up for anything I've missed. Case in point: The press kit for "The Walking Dead" television series that arrived recently from AMC. Check it out:

Looks simple enough, right? Wait until you see what's inside it. Read more...

Tags photo, Swag Report, The Walking Dead

Even if you're not familiar with the novels of author Donald Westlake, there's a good chance you've seen at least one of the films based on his crime stories — specifically those involving Parker, the hardboiled criminal who served as the main character in many of Westlake's novels. Liberally adapted by Hollywood for films like 1999's "Payback" with Mel Gibson, Westlake's "Parker" novels are now finding success in yet another medium: graphic novels.

However, while Westlake never shied away from taking Hollywood money for the right to adapt his stories, he always insisted on changing the main character's name to protect his popular creation. All that changed, though, with IDW Publishing's "Parker" graphic novels from writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, which received the author's full blessing before his death in early 2009.

The first of Cooke's beautifully stylized, impressively faithful adaptations of Westlake's "Parker" novels was released last year, and "The Hunter" quickly became one of the most celebrated books of the year, earning numerous awards (we named it the "Best Comic Adapted From Another Medium") in and around the comics industry.

This month saw the release of "The Outfit," the next book in Cooke's "Parker" adaptations, and I spoke to the award-winning creator during New York Comic Con about the appeal of Westlake's stories and his approach to adapting them. Read more...

Tags darwyn cooke, donald westlake, nycc 2010, parker, the hunter, the outfit, Video

Monday mornings in the Twitter Report feed aren't going to be the same now that "Mad Men" Season 4 has concluded. Last night's finale received mixed reactions from Gene Ha, Jon Favreau and Steve Lieber, but AMC's definitely planted the seeds of anticipation for "The Walking Dead" among them.

In other topics, Brian Reed found one of the most bizarre anti-comics stances I've ever seen, while Erik Larsen laid out a difference of opinion has with John Byrne and Joe Hill relayed his satisfaction after seeing "Red." You can find out where your differences of opinion lie after the jump.

I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter Report for October 18, 2010. Read more...

Tags brian reed, dan slott, david gallaher, erik larsen, gene ha, joe hill, jon favreau, meredith gran, neil kleid, steve lieber, Twitter Report

Stan Lee is the self-proclaimed master of the cameo, having appeared in numerous Marvel Comics adaptations including "Spider-Man," both "Iron Man" films and "The Incredible Hulk." But will an overseas trip get in the way of Lee's appearance alongside the first Avenger?

"I still haven't done the 'Captain America' cameo," Lee told MTV News during New York Comic Con last weekend. "They're shooting it in England, but they've sort of hinted that they may shoot some scenes here in the United States. If so, I'll be banging on the door saying, 'Where's my cameo?'" Read more...

Tags captain america, nycc 2010, stan lee, the first avenger captain america, Video

The "Spider-Man" series reboot is spinning all kinds of casting webs with actors Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans lined up for major roles — but Garfield won't be the only actor nursing a radioactive spider-bite when Marc Webb's reboot lands in theaters in 2012.

According to Moviehole, Sony executives are seeking "a dark-haired Caucasian boy" to play a four- to six-year-old Peter Parker, with the young actor ideally resembling Garfield. The part is presumably somewhat minor, as "Spider-Man" is said to focus on Parker's experiences as a young college student.

Little Peter isn't the only young character in the film, as Sony is also searching for a child actor to play Billy Connors, the son of Doctor Curt Connors — a part that supposedly belongs to Ifans, according to a report last week. Applicants for the role of Billy Connors need to be between eight and eleven years old. Read more...

Tags spider-man

Geoff Johns is a very busy man, what with writing three different comic book titles and overseeing much of DC Entertainment's creative output as the company's chief creative officer. But the "Green Lantern" and "The Flash" writer isn't so busy that he won't take the time to discuss the cinematic future of the DC brand.

Collider spoke with Johns about a variety of topics, including when fans can expect announcements regarding DC's future film slate — a time table he described as "soon," but not tomorrow.

"I wish I could say tomorrow, but it's not going to be tomorrow," said Johns. "It will be soon, though. That's for sure." Read more...

Tags geoff johns, green lantern

"Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky's attachment to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2" remains likely but uncertain, and until an official announcement is made, Aronofsky Alerts remain in full effect on the "Wolverine" front. And according to the latest alert, the director isn't just inching closer to a deal — he's closer to a start date and a shooting location as well.

Deadline reports that Aronofsky's deal with 20th Century Fox is "close enough that discussion has turned to shooting the sound stage portions of the film in New York so the filmmaker and Hugh Jackman don't have to inconvenience their families."

When New York filming is complete, the production would head to Japan to shoot the rest of the sequel, reportedly based on the "Wolverine" comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Read more...

Tags darren aronofsky, wolverine 2

Bradley Cooper is not The Flash. Or is he?

Despite rumors running rampant that the "Hangover" star is Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment's favorite choice to star as Barry Allen in the forthcoming superhero movie, Cooper himself insists that there's no truth to the alleged casting. In fact, he hasn't even heard of the project.

"I've never heard anything about it ever in my life," Cooper told Superhero Hype when asked about the rumors. When informed that the idea of his casting had become widely reporter online, he added: "It's funny."

So, is Cooper out of the running? Not so fast. Read more...

Tags bradley cooper, The Flash

If you're trying to figure out the plot of director Zack Snyder's "Superman" reboot, don't look at the Man of Steel's previous cinematic endeavors for any clues. Likewise, there are no breadcrumbs to follow in the character's considerable comic book run. In fact, there's really no where to look except for the minds of those who have worked on the script.

According to an interview with French site FilmsActu.com (via Bleeding Cool), Snyder's "Superman" won't take any cues from previous films or comic books. Instead, the DC Comics icon will return to his early days as a crimefighter in a wholly original story.

"As I have already explained, the film will focus on early days of Superman, so there will be no links with other films," said Snyder. "This is not a remake then. Similarly, although I still can not talk about the script, I can assure you that this new Superman will not be based on a comic book in particular." Read more...

Tags superman, zack snyder