Rachel Weisz is in talks to portray the evil witch Evanora in director Sam Raimi’s semi-prequel to the ‘Wizard of Oz,’ titled ‘Oz: The Great and Powerful,’ Slashfilm is reporting. The news comes after it was announced that James Franco has been cast as the man who becomes the wizard, and Mila Kunis is set to play Evanora’s evil sister, Theadora. ‘Oz: The Great and Powerful’ will follow Franco’s character, a snake oil salesman and illusionist, as he flees the traveling circus he has been working for. He ends up in a hot air balloon, which is whisked to Oz by a tornado. The salesman must then fight real magic…

Director Robert Zemeckis won’t be helming the proposed live-action ‘Wizard of Oz’ remake after all, Slashfilm.com is reporting. The news comes just a couple of days after rumors started circulating that Warner Bros. was eying Zemeckis for the job. The movie, which is believed to be a shot-for-shot remake like Gus Van Sant’s 1998 reworking of ‘Psycho,’ is still in its preliminary stages. But Warner Bros. hopes to start shooting soon, as it plans on working off of the original 1939 script. However, it has competition from the new Disney film ‘The Great and Powerful Oz,’ which Sam Raimi has reportedly signed on to direct. Robert Downey, Jr. has also…

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment was kind enough to send us a review copy of the Blu-ray release of “The Evil Dead” written and directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Drag Me To Hell) and produced by Robert G. Tapert (Drag Me To Hell, The Grudge). Its cast features Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness), Ellen Sandweiss (My Name is Bruce), Hal Delrich (Crimewave), Betsy Baker (TV’s “Southland”, “E.R.”) and Sarah York (TV’s “Dangerous Women”). Five Michigan State University students venture into the hills to spend a weekend at an isolated cabin. There they discover an ancient Sumerian text, known as the “Morturom Demonto”; roughly translated as “The Book…

Chatsworth, CA — Image Entertainment, one of the largest independent home entertainment distributors in North America, has picked up the exclusive distribution rights to DAMNED BY DAWN from Australian-based Sales & Production company Odin’s Eye Entertainment (OEE). The seriously fun, first feature film from talented Australian director, Brett Anstey (The Amazing Krypto Bros.) pays homage to classic Hammer Horror and is sure to be a hit with fans of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise. “DAMNED BY DAWN is full of fright and fun,” commented Mark Ward, Vice President of Acquisitions for Image Entertainment. “The film is sure to become a cult classic and we’re proud to be adding it to…

Bryan Bertino (“The Strangers”) has been tapped to direct “This Man” for Ghost House Pictures, which he will also write. Bertino and Adrienne Biddle are partnering along with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert of Ghost House to produce the film, with Ghost House principal Nathan Kahane executive producing. “This Man” is about an unassuming man who discovers that various people he has never met before in his life are seeing him in their dreams. He sets out to discover why he is inadvertently a source of nightmares for so many people. Bertino wrote “The Strangers”, which was also his directorial debut. “The Strangers 2″, which he also wrote, is in…

The Spider-Man series is getting completely rebooted with a new cast and storyline, Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced on Monday, January 11, and will hit theaters during the summer of 2012. The movie will be based on a script written by James Vanderbilt, and will bring Peter Parker back to high school, once again focusing on the teenager grappling with his transformation into the superhero. While Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire and producer Sam Raimi was supposed to be released next year, it never went into production. While Raimi’s Spider-Man series will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures, Michael Lynton, the Chairman and CEO of the studio,…

John Malkovich has confirmed in an Italian TV show that he is to play the winged Spider-Man villain the Vulture in the upcoming “Spider-Man 4″ film. This comes on the heels of Marvel’s upcoming “Thor” taking “Spider-Man 4″‘s May 2011 release date, causing the already-troubled production to now have no set release date, though they are aiming for a summer 2011 release. The Spider-Man villain known as the Vulture is an elderly man named Adrian Toomes, who was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #2 in 1963. An inventor who creates a harness that allows him to fly, he finances his research through crime. Stay…

Watch a two part exclusive interview of actor Tobey Maguire on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Tobey stars as Spider-Man in the upcoming highly anticipated Columbia Pictures film “Spider-Man 4″ by director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Warcraft) and starring Tobey Maguire (The Crusaders, Brothers, Spider-Man 3), Kirsten Dunst (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, Marie Antoinette), John Malkovich (Burn After Reading) and possibly J.K. Simmons and Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland, Valentine’s Day, Bride Wars). Click Here for more photos, news and videos from Spider-Man 4. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and more from actor Tobey Maguire and the upcoming blockbuster film “Spider-Man 4″.

ABC Studios released this very cool promo poster from the hit series “Legend of the Seeker” season 2 starring Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence and Craig Parker. Series Synopsis: Based on Terry Goodkind’s best-selling fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, this series follows woodsman Richard Cypher as he transforms from woods guide to magical leader, with a task to stop a vicious tyrant, Lord Darken Rahl. Legend of the Seeker is produced by ABC Studios for syndication. The series was formerly known as Wizard’s First Rule. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest news and promo posters from “Legend of the Seeker” from ABC Studios.

Craig Horner and Bridget Regan speak with the Associated Press about combat choreography and wardrobe challenges on their show, “Legend of the Seeker,” now in its second season of syndication. Series Synopsis: Millions of readers the world over have been held spellbound by this valiant tale vividly told. Now, enter Terry Goodkind’s world, the world of The Sword of Truth. In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help…and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss,…