Jamie Bell on 'The Adventures of Tintin' and Andy Serkis's Oscar Campaign

You won't recognize Jamie Bell in 'The Adventures of Tintin'; after all, Bell's motion-capture character is the titular cub reporter, an icon of international fame going on nine decades, meaning he can't very well look like the kid from 'Billy Elliot.' (Not to fear, Daniel Craig fans; his villainous Sakharin looks exactly like the 'Dragon Tattoo' star.) But -- along with a cardboard dog masquerading as Snowy, and Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock -- Bell spent months wearing a motion-capture suit to play Tintin for director Steven Spielberg, and his work breathes life into a character that previous only lived on the funny pages. As Tintin might say, "Great snakes!" Out in theaters now, 'The Adventures of Tintin' focuses on Tintin, a young reporter who gets thrust into a world of adventure when he stumbles onto a model of a decades-old ship. Bell spoke with Moviefone about the new film, its motion-capture technology and whether Serkis -- who plays Haddock as the Felix Ungar to Bell's Oscar Madison -- deserves an Academy Award. For audiences, motion capture is still a slightly difficult thing to comprehend. Were you concerned at all about getting into it as a performer? No, I don't think so. I mean, working with people like Steven Spielberg, very much a pioneer of a technology, you know you're going to be taken care of and the movie is going to look amazing in the end. I think for all of us, as filmmakers and actors and performers, the most important thing was for people to go in to the movie and have an experience and come out the other end -- to forget the medium in which it was made. The medium isn't the message, you know. If they went in there and forget what they were watching and just went along for the ride, then we would feel like we had succeeded. I feel like the movie really does that to you. I think then it becomes less about the technique and more the adventure and thrill of the movie. Some of the sequences in this movie are pretty phenomenal. You could never achieve it in live action and it's just kind of astounding, the inventiveness of Steven Spielberg's brain and the way he sees movies. He sees those kinds of sequences as fully realized in this movie. You know, I think he has a future as a filmmaker. [Laughs] I know you were on record as being a big fan of the material. How did you guys balance doing justice to the legacy of 'Tintin,' while keeping it broad enough for people who aren't familiar with the source? I think there's a spirit of the character that is kind of everything about the success of the books. He has a great heart. The soul of this character is purely good, you know? He's a beacon of excellence for children. He has a friend who is -- they're the odd couple, him and Captain Haddock. There's this great, action-adventure hero with a great natural instinct -- a great natural ability to do all the things he needs to do, who is then coupled up with this guy who is a disaster. The most unconventional friendship in movies. It very much becomes a buddy movie at the heart of this Indiana Jones-like adventure. I think, for us, it was important for the fans -- especially internationally where the film's already opened -- that we hit all the chords and notes of a typical Tintin adventure. But, at the same time, with Steven Spielberg, I think he always has the audience in mind, and he wants to make it accessible. I think something about the Tintin character is that he is very accessible. You mention Captain Haddock, who is played by Andy Serkis, arguably the premier motion-capture performer of all time. How important was your collaboration with him? I think I was genuinely distracted a lot of the time just because of how good that guy is. Knowing Andy before we made the movie, knowing what he's capable of, knowing his embodiment of character, knowing that he is just an unbelievably talented individual, just was distracting! But, perfect casting for this kind of role. When you work with a master of things, I genuinely think asking questions is wrong. I find that, from my experience, just to listen, to watch and learn and listen, is the best thing. I would just admire and watch his performance. With Andy, every time he does one of these -- and this happened with 'Avatar,' too, with Zoe Saldana -- there's always this debate whether motion capture performances should be looked at in the same respect as a traditional performances. Do you think there should be a strict delineation? Don't get me wrong, I think there needs to be some kind of acknowledgement, somehow. I think if it's an invention of a new category -- because also some voice and vocal performance, which isn't necessarily motion capture, is also brilliant. I remember Robin Williams in 'Aladdin,' that amazing voice performance made that movie. I don't know, if it's the invention of a new category, an inclusion in other categories; I don't know. But there definitely needs to be some acknowledgement of the fact that these performances are genuinely moving people around the world, acknowledging a cultural phenomenon. I think Zoe Saldana was a massive part of the reason why the movie was successful. Obviously, we've seen Andy this year in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' -- which, without a doubt, he makes the movie. Yeah, we need to bestow some kind of acknowledgement on these performers who turn in really great performances and get zero credit for them. What did you think when you saw the finished film? As a longtime fan, how did you think it came out? For me, dude, it exceeded any kind of expectation aesthetically of what it would look like. Joe Letteri is a magician! The guy is unbelievable. I've never seen such photorealism in an animated film in my life. I think the characters are fully realized. We really feel everything that they're feeling. When Andy Serkis is saying, "No one takes my ship!" and that spit comes flying out of his mouth and you see that glare in his eye, I'm there. I'm there with the character. I'm right there! It was beyond any expectation but at the same time, when you work with these kinds of people you know it's going to be something extra special. For me, looking at my performance, I can always tell the decisions I was making that day. You can see the authorship that you have of your own performance even though it doesn't look like you which is interesting. [Photo: WireImage] The Best Movies of 2011 The Best Movies of 201150. 'Breaking Dawn'49. 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'48. 'The Trip'47. 'Warrior'46. 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'45. 'The Iron Lady'44. 'We Bought a Zoo'43. 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol'42. 'Horrible Bosses'41. 'Contagion'40. 'Winnie the Pooh'39. 'Win Win'37. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'38. 'Hanna'36. 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'35. 'The Interrupters'34. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love'33. 'The Guard'32. 'Captain America: The First Avenger'31. 'The Ides of March'30. 'Beginners'29. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene''A Dangerous Method'27. 'The Adventures of Tintin'26. 'Bill Cunningham NY'25. 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'24. 'Young Adult'23. 'My Week With Marilyn'22. 'Margin Call'21. 'X-Men: First Class'20. 'Attack the Block'19. 'Shame'18. 'Super 8'17. 'Melancholia'16. 'The Muppets'15. 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'14. 'Tree of Life'13. 'Rango'12. 'The Help'11. 'Moneyball'10. '50/50'9. 'Drive'8. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'7. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II'6. 'Midnight in Paris'5. 'Bridesmaids'4. 'The Descendants'3. 'War Horse'2. 'The Artist'1. 'Hugo' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'The Adventures of Tintin' Clip: Andy Serkis' Captain Haddock Showcases Real Seamanship

Thinking about that Andy Serkis could easily get an unlikely Oscar nomination for his concentrate on 'Rise in the Planet in the Apes,' it's apparent the actor has stood a pretty great 2011. While using year within the dying cycle, however, Serkis will get another jolt: he stars in 'The Adventures of Tintin' as Captain Haddock, the Oscar Madison to Tintin's (Jamie Bell) Felix Ungar. In this particular new clip within the Spielberg-directed motion-capture adventure, Haddock takes a challenge supplied by Tintin to heart -- after which it handles to knock his new friend unconscious. See the clip ahead. 'The Adventures of Tintin' is going in theaters on Wednesday. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Morgan grilled over U.K. phone hacking

Morgan CNN anchor and former British tabloid editor Piers Morgan has refused all understanding of phone hacking in the Daily Mirror, 1 of 2 national papers he edited.Asked Tuesday through the government inquiry into press ethics, carried out by The almighty Justice John Leveson, Morgan stated he'd pointless to "accept is as true happeningInch in the Mirror throughout his almost 10-year tenure, which led to 2004.Talking with the U.K. via video link in the U.S. where lucrative lives, Morgan told the inquiry: "Not an individual makes a proper or legal complaint from the Daily Mirror for phone hacking."The Leveson inquiry is separate towards the parliamentary probe into phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News around the globe Sunday tabloid, which Morgan edited in 1994-95, years prior to the scandal emerged.Morgan seemed to be requested in regards to a report through the British Information Commissioner's Office that discovered that 45 Mirror journalists were pointed out within the files of private eye Steve Whittamore.Morgan was adamant that "all journalists understood they needed to operate inside the law. Which was enshrined within their contracts of employment."He was grilled in regards to a recording of the voicemail message message left by Paul McCartney for his then-wife Louise Mills once the couple were going through difficulties within their short-resided marriage.The CNN presenter, who quit like a judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent" to focus on his "Piers Morgan Tonight" talkshow in November, stated that hearing the content wasn't dishonest, but rejected to supply particulars of methods it happened to safeguard his source.Asked about his sights on privacy and just how the press goodies large names, he stated: "I have little sympathy with celebs who sell their wedding ceremonies for a million -- probably the most private times of their lives -- after which have a much privacy when they get caught getting matters."Those are the last individuals who ought to be protected with a privacy law."Following the session, Morgan stated he'd felt just like a "badly treated rock star" whose low points were constantly repeated while his achievements were overlooked. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

CBS rolls to weekly ratings victory

Freshman powerhouse 2 Broke Girls performed impressively for CBS when it anchored Monday for the first time. The finale of "Survivor," original episodes of most of its hit shows and a sizable NFL overrun on Sunday lifted CBS to one of the most dominant ratings victories of the season. With many of the top shows on the competition preempted or airing in repeat, the Eye claimed seven of the week's top 10 programs in adults 18-49 -- as well as the top five scripted skeins. CBS wraps fall tied with Fox for the lead among adults 18-49 while holding comfortable leads in its strongest categories -- adults 25-54 and total viewers. While CBS is up slightly across the board, Fox is the only net to improve by double-digit percentages. Looking at the week of Dec. 12-18, Nielsen estimates that CBS averaged a 2.8 rating/8 share in adults 18-49 during primetime, comfortably ahead of NBC (2.0/6) and Fox (1.9/5), with ABC and Univision (both 1.3/4) well behind. CBS also cruised in adults 25-54 (3.8/9 to 2.5/6 for runner-up NBC) and total viewers, where its 11.4 million was nearly as much as the next two nets combined (6.2 million for NBC, 5.6 million for Fox). Highlights for CBS included "2 Broke Girls" (4.2/11 in 18-49, 12.50m), which still performed very well despite airing a half-hour earlier than usual (in place of "How I Met Your Mother"). The net also won in the 9 o'clock hour with "Two and a Half Men" (4.7/11, 14.88m) and "Mike and Molly" (4.0/9, 12.77m). "NCIS" (3.6/10, 19.13m), "Criminal Minds" (3.4/9, 12.88m) and "Person of Interest" (2.8/8, 12.93m) were among the Eye's timeslot-winning dramas, with the last drawing its largest audience since its premiere. And Sunday, following a hugely rated NFL game, "60 Minutes" surged (4.0/11, 18.47m), and "Survivor" (4.0/10, 13.07m) wrapped on par with the show's spring conclusion and down a bit vs. last year's fall finale. NBC was paced by "Sunday Night Football" (6.1/15, 16.58m), though the Baltimore-San Diego match was one of the franchise's least-watched of the season. The net also was boosted by the return of "Fear Factor" (3.5/8, 8.52m), which significantly improved its Monday timeslot and became the net's second strongest entertainment series telecast of the fall in 18-49. Fox was led by Wednesday's episode of "The X Factor" (3.4/10, 10.79m), though the new comedy that followed it, "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" (1.8/5, 5.06m), took a hit in its second week. Net fared better with its Tuesday rookie comedy "New Girl" (3.3/9, 6.82m), again building on its demo lead-in from "Glee" (3.0/8, 7.13m). And ABC, which didn't air any original scripted programs, had a very quiet week, seeing its best numbers from Wednesday spec "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011" (2.3/6, 8.39m), though the annual event continues to see its popularity wane. ESPN's "Monday Night Football" was below average (3.7/10 in 18-49, 9.88m for St. Louis-Seattle) but was easily the top cable draw of the week. Top entertainment series among young adults were A&E's "Storage Wars" (2.3/6, 5.20m) and "Storage Wars: Texas" (2.1/6, 4.68m), Discovery's "Gold Rush" (2.1/7, 5.38m), History's "Pawn Stars" (2.1/6, 5.23m) and MTV's "Teen Mom" (2.0/5, 3.42m). Other than "MNF," the most-watched cablecast of the week was Fox News Channel's coverage of the Republican Presidential Debate on Thursday (6.71 million). It drew more viewers than ABC News' "The Year With Katie Couric" special that aired on the same night (5.54m). And on the pay cable side, Showtime was pleased with the numbers for its Sunday finales of "Dexter" (2.23 million) and "Homeland" (1.71m). When you add in a second showing that night, "Homeland's" audience (2.1 million) was the largest to date for the first-season finale of a Showtime series (Daily Variety, Dec. 20). Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

Madonna Won't have an Oscar Nomination for top Original Song

Existence can be a mystery ... and therefore is honours season. The Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced 39 tunes qualified for nomination inside the Best Original Song category within the 84th annual Academy awards in February, and Madonna's latest track isn't incorporated within this. Madge, who directed the arrival romance 'W.E.' in addition to written the song "Masterpiece" due to its soundtrack, received a Golden Globe nomination for your tune the other day sadly, her charms were lost round the Academy. (Either that, or AMPAS isn't as susceptible to star-searching since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.) While Madonna will stay home on Feb. 26, many other tunes will probably be qualified for just about any nomination, including three tracks from 'The Muppets,' the Mary J. Blige tune from 'The Help' as well as the Jonsi song "Gathering Gems" within the 'We Bought a Zoo' soundtrack. Full list ahead. "The Earth I Understood" from "African Cats" "Lay The Mind Lower" from "Albert Nobbs" "Star Spangled Guy" from "Captain America: The Initial Avenger" "Collision of Cell phone industry's" from "Cars 2&Prime "Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu" from "DAM999&Prime "DAM999 Theme Song" from "DAM999&Prime "Mujhe Chod Ke" from "DAM999&Prime "Rainbird" from "Dirty Girl" "Continue Walking" from "The Initial Grader" "Where the River Goes" from "Footloose" "Hello Hello" from "Gnomeo & Juliet" "Love Evolves an outdoorInch from "Gnomeo & Juliet" "Bridge of sunshineInch from "Happy Foot Two" "The Mighty Sven" from "Happy Foot Two" "'t Be DelayInch from "happythankyoumoreplease" "Hell and Back" from "Hell and AgainInch "The Living Proof" from "The AssistanceInch "Coeur Volant" from "Hugo" "It Is The Approach We Take To Play" from "I am Unsure How She'll ItInch "When the Heart Dies" from "Inside the Land of Blood stream and Honey" "Ja Nao Estar" from "José and Pilar" "The Keeper" from "Machine Gun Preacher" "Life's a cheerful Song" from "The Muppets" "Guy or Muppet" from "The Muppets" "Pictures throughout my thoughtsInch from "The Muppets" "Summer season Song" from "The Music Activity Never Stopped" "Imaginary Pals" from "Olive" "Sparkling Day" from "EventuallyInch "Taking You beside meInch from "Our Idiot Brother" "The Best Song I HeardInch from "POM Wonderful Is Certainly The Best Movie Ever Offered" "Hot Wings" from "Rio" "Let Me Enable You To Get to Rio" from "Rio" "Real in Rio" from "Rio" "Shelter" from "Take Shelter" "Gathering Tales" from "We Bought a Zoo" "Pop" from "White-colored Irish Customers" "Think You'll Be Able To Wait" from "Mutually BeneficialInch "The Backson Song" from "Winnie the Pooh" "This Type Of Very Long Time" from "Winnie the Pooh" [via MCN] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Sandra Bullock Describes Inadequate Screen In time 'Extremely Noisy and very Close' (VIDEO)

You could expect that Tom Hanks isn't in 'Extremely Noisy and very Close,' much as his character (SPOILER! ... although it's in every single trailer) died on 9/11. But Sandra Bullock, who plays his widow, also provides a far more compact-than-expected role. On 'Today' Thursday morning, the actress referred to they chosen for just about any supporting role as her first follow-around her Oscar-winning submit 'The Blind Side' because the movie was far too good to exhibit lower. "It's truly this excellent story from the child's perspective from the products happened within the existence that was this horribly tragic event," Bullock told 'Today' host Matt Lauer. "Also to notice through his eyes is a lot more, In my opinion, poignant and impactful, instead of notice by having an adult's eyes." Didn't she mind being banished to supporting status? "I've already had people moments [just like a leading lady], In my opinion. I'm speaking about, there might be more, I am unsure, but I am unsure the amount of moments and options similar to this you will see -- with tales similar to this, with company company directors and casts similar to this -- It's like the rare moments around where all the elements exist, and so they all meet up for a lot of strange or bigger reason. You can't refuse compared to that,In . she added. Watch the whole interview below. [via THR] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Buble's 'Christmas' stays No. 1

Sales of Michael Buble's "Christmas" kept a-jinglin' last week, maintaining the vocalist's position at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. Buble's Warner Bros. holiday set gained a robust 64% and sits tight at No. 1 with a 479,000-unit week, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ended Dec. 11. Holiday collection holds the apex for a third week. Four debuting titles breathed some much-needed new life into the chart. Post-Thanksgiving sales remain somewhat humdrum, however, with just five titles selling more than 100,000 copies; release schedule for the remainder of December is thin. Akron twosome the Black Keys burst in at No. 2 with "El Camino" (Nonesuch). Duo's 206,000-unit bow is their best ever; last year's breakthrough "Brothers" peaked at No. 3. Amy Winehouse's posthumous "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" (Universal Republic), a collection of previously unreleased tracks, arrived at No. 5, moving 114,000. British soul-pop vocalist, who died suddenly in July, saw her chart peak with her sophomore album "Back to Black," which climbed to No. 2 at the height of her popularity in 2008. The week's other, comparatively mild debuts were "Glee: the Music, Season 3: Volume 7" (Columbia), which entered at No. 9 with 58,000, and hard rock unit Korn's "The Path of Totality" (Roadrunner), which moved in at No. 10 with 55,000 shifted. Stanza's biggest holdovers are Adele's still formidable "21" (Columbia), which dipped one position to No. 3 with a 187,000-unit frame (up 30%), and Justin Bieber's "Under the Mistletoe" (Island), which fell one notch to No. 4 with 158,000 (up 19%). Top 10 is rounded out by Andrea Bocelli's "Concerto: One Night in Central Park" (No. 6, 79,000 sold, up 28%), Drake's "Take Care" (No. 7, 73,000, off 19%) and Nickelback's "Here and Now" (No. 8, 66,000, down 16%). Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Kaya Scodelario has 'Fishes' to fry

Scodelario"Skins" star Kaya Scodelario is positioned to switch Rooney Mara since the lead in Francesca Gregorini's indie "Emanuel and the real truth about Fishes."Gregorini written the script, which follows Emanuel, a troubled 17-year-old girl who babysits her new neighbor's "baby," that's a real really existence-like toy. She goes with the delusion while befriending the neighbor, who's really the spitting picture of Emanuel's late mother.Matthew Brady is creating via his MRB Prods. banner along with Gregorini, while Paul Schiff, Kevin Iwashina and Jonathan Gray will professional produce.Along with Tatiana von Furstenberg, Gregorini formerly written, directed and produced the 2011 indie drama "Tanner Hall," which Mara toplined right before her breakout role as Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's "The Woman While using Dragon Tattoo."Most broadly known on her behalf role as Effy Stonem round the questionable hit Brit series "Skins," Scodelario next stars since the lead in Andrea Arnold's adaptation of "Wuthering Levels." Thesp, who also came out in "Clash in the Leaders" and "Moon," recently wrapped Ol Parker's indie drama "Now's Good," which stars Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine.Scodelario is repped by CAA and U.K.-based Curtis Brown Group. Contact Rob Sneider at rob.sneider@variety.com

USA Network upfront breaks b'cast obstacles

USA will tout a number of new original programming, including drama Common Law, at its upfront event skedded for May 17. USAs Chris McCumber, left, and Shaun Wachtel, second from right, join Virginia Williams, NBCs Bonnie Hammer and Sarah Shahi at its upfront this season. It intends to hold next years event throughout bcasters upfront week.USA Network intends to crash the broadcast nets' upfront party next spring. USA stated Monday it'll host an upfront presentation around the evening of May 17 at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln subsequently Center to tout its hot prospects, including dramedy "Common Law" and a number of new projects in development. USA's move aims to strengthen to Madison Avenue the NBCUniversal cabler's growing heft with original programming and underline USA's push for parity in advertising rates using the Large Four broadcast nets. In getting into a few days when NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and CW hold their upfront fetes in marathon Monday-Thursday fashion, USA is following a lead of Turner, that was the very first cabler to create a large stand throughout broadcasters' upfront week in 2008. USA Network, that has rated No. 1 among fundamental cablers within the last couple of years, has typically held its upfront event a couple of days prior to the broadcast nets, which typically sked their occasions for that third week of May, just just before the finish from the TV season. USA's event this season occured May 2 at Lincoln subsequently Center. The coming year, USA's event will cap the most popular week of the season for media purchasers and television journos. "This is actually the right factor for that development of the funnel," USA co-leader Chris McCumber told Variety. "After talking with ad purchasers and organizers, we made the decision to choose a bigger presentation." Added co-leader Shaun Wachtel: "It feels as though the best time for all of us. We'll have the ability to achieve more and more people than before, and we are looking forward to being the grand finale." While a lot of the ad community relies in Gotham, USA can also be relying on receiving additional PR from out-of-town journalists, who definitely are in Manhattan that week. Which will give USA additional exposure on the customer and business side, reaching more potential viewer eyeballs than in the past. As the internet might possibly not have the identity of fellow NBCUniversal internet NBC among customers, USA is much more of the profit center for that Peacock and it is top shows could be competitive with broadcast nets. Knowing that, Wachtel and McCumber intend to push for CPM gains throughout next year's upfront advertising selling craze. The strong scatter market in recent several weeks continues to be great for USA Network, and also the internet hopes to keep its momentum having a greater-profile upfront event. "This can clearly not just enhance the picture of who we're and what we should do, but in addition helps the financial aspects," stated McCumber. Additionally to offering the stats on its slate of current hits -- "Suits," "Necessary Roughness," "Royal Pains" and "Whitened Collar," included in this -- USA will tubthumping its approaching skeins to potential marketers. Cabler is at the top of dramedy series "Common Law," about a set of cops who get into therapy to assist them to maintain their professional partnership. Skein was initially skedded to bow Jan. 26, but executives made the decision it might be more appropriate to some summer time bow. Also coming is Nathan Lane comedy "Local Talent," as USA looks to create a major push with laffers and reality shows in 2012. As well as on the syndie front, cabler acquired "Modern Family" and can easily be notifying the ad community that primetime's greatest-ranked comedy is going to cable. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Jennifer Aniston To Star In Approaching Luc Besson Film?

There's no limit once you have won an Oscar. You'll be able to pair tabs on your good-searching options with an ostentatious action film. You'll be able to lend your voice with a cartoon about kung-fu animals. You may even choose another Oscar, why not? Nevertheless the ultimate moment of FTW excess must be starring in the Luc Besson film. Refreshing stars as action stars from Statham to Neeson, Besson's hyperkinetic blow outs have charmed American audiences, destroyed laminator tl901 office, and more importantly, done one essential aspect: made their stars look really, really awesome. It appears sensible, then, that Jennifer Aniston might be the most recent actress to acquire round the Besson bandwagon. According to Deadline, Jolie is at predicts "star next spring in the dramatic thriller that's rooted in true scientific elements." Yeah, scientific elements like people getting shot a good deal! Simply because they write, it will likely be probably be closer to earlier Besson films like "The Professional" and "The fifth Element." That's okay by us, as people are likely his most satisfying movies. Otherwise, Jolie's remaining busy. Besides her perpetual existence before paparazzi cameras, her directorial debut, "Inside The Land of Blood stream and Honey," has been launched soon. Should you didn't see, we spoken to her yesterday in regards to the movie's styles and the way she thinks it'll resonate with audiences. "This youthful audience will probably be interested because [of] the figures they'll recognize them," Jolie mentioned. "This really is really the 1990's. They may have been children or else alive throughout that time, but they're sightseeing who've been 18 years old, 10 years old in the European cosmopolitan society, which is so what can have happened once they visited war." Jennifer Aniston talks "Blood stream and Honey" reactions! Reveal everything you consider Jolie's approaching Besson project inside the comments section and also on Twitter!

Comedy Central busy developing projects

Comedy Central has bulked up its development slate for 2012, including an untitled project with "Daily Show" correspondent Wyatt Cenac based on public-matters shows within the eighties. Cenac is aboard to produce and professional produce, with David Rath of Generate creating. Among the three animated shows in development online are "Robots," about inept androids' not successful attempts at world domination, and ShadowMachine's anthology series "TripTank," including work by "Delocated" creator Jon Glaser and "Mr. Show" co-creator Bob Odenkirk, among others. Another untitled series changes the "Cyanide and Happiness" webcomics for television. Also round the slate: 3Arts' "Gregory Brothers and sisters," a completely new show featuring the titular digital music team behind "Auto-Tune this newsInch and Avalon's "@Make the most of Delaney," a variety show starring comedian Delaney and such as the net's hit "Tosh.." "Overloaded," too, takes a comic think about the Internet, focusing on social media. The Viacom cabler may also be developing a single-camera sitcom titled "Braunger," using the information on comic Matt Braunger, and sketch series "Eugene!," put together by and starring Eugene Mirman. Other comics around whom the web is building shows include Amy Schumer, Anthony Jeselnik and Nathan Felder. Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com

Scribe assigned new Stan Lee character

Stan Lee helped launch Magic Storm Entertainment this summer to bring his newest superhero characters to life, particularly for Asian auds -- and now one is on the way, as the film finance company has hired "Real Steel" screenwriter Dan Gilroy to introduce the Annihilator. It's the first film project for Magic Storm, a joint creation of Lee's Pow! Entertainment, Hong-Kong-based Ricco Capital Holdings and Fidelis Entertainment. Los Angeles-based Magic Storm, topped by CEO Eric Mika, was launched in June to develop and finance a slate of superhero fare designed to appeal to Asian markets, but that can cross over to others. Gilroy will begin work on the story of a young Chinese man given a second chance as an international superhero who returns home to mete out justice. "Words can't express how excited I am about this project," Lee said. "It's based on the most incredibly original and unique superhero I've created in a long time." The CAA-repped Gilroy's credits include Universal's "Two for the Money" and the upcoming "The Bourne Legacy." "Stan (Lee) is straight-up at the top of his game," Gilroy said, "and it's a joy to have a hand in bringing this to the screen." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com