This collection of Catwoman cosplay is most time intensive "Best of Cosplay" to date. Normally a collection will start off with 40-60 photos, and that is pared down to about 25-30. Even with a very high bar set, I ended up curating over 120 photos, with the final collection having 35 elite. Each cosplay artist has many great photos cut to present the largest cast and variety of cosplay.

If you've got good cosplay or think I missed something, send it our way.

A small screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods has been in development since 2011. It finally has the steam it's been looking for to rocket into production. It was originally set up with HBO and Tom Hanks' production company Playtone. It is now going to be developed at Starz with FremantleMedia under the guidance of producers Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, Heroes) and Michael Green (The River, Kings, Heroes).

The plot centers on "a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities."

Starz Managing Director Carmi Zlotnik said this in a statement:

"'American Gods' is a project that deserves to be made. With our partners at FremantleMedia and with Bryan, Michael and Neil, we believe we can create a series that honors the book and does right by the fans and viewers."

Gaiman added: 

"When you create something like 'American Gods,' which attracts fans and obsessives and people who tattoo quotes from it on themselves or each other, and who all, tattooed or not, just care about it deeply, it's really important to pick your team carefully: you don't want to let the fans down, or the people who care and have been casting it online since the dawn of recorded history. What I love most about the team who I trust to take it out to the world, is that they are the same kind of fanatics that 'American Gods' has attracted since the start. I haven't actually checked Bryan Fuller or Michael Green for quote tattoos, but I would not be surprised if they have them. The people at Fremantle are the kinds of people who have copies of 'American Gods' in the bottom of their backpacks after going around the world, and who press them on their friends. And the team at Starz have been quite certain that they wanted to give Shadow, Wednesday and Laura a home since they first heard that the book was out there.I can't wait to see what they do to bring the story to the widest possible audience able to cope with it."

Thom Beers, CEO of FremantleMedia tells us something we already know:

"Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' is pure genius and we couldn't be more thrilled to bring this classic to life on screen. Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk have put together a dream team with Fuller and Green joining Gaiman on this amazing journey. Coupled with Starz' shared passion for this project, we're confident this combination will raise the bar for drama."

Then Fuller adds: 

"Neil Gaiman has created the holiest of holy toy boxes with 'American Gods' and filled it with all manner of magical thing, born of new gods and old. Michael Green and I are thrilled to crack this toy box wide open and unleash the fantastical titans of heaven and earth and Neil's vividly prolific imagination."

There's an amazing team of people bringing this story to life, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Mondo has revealed this amazing poster art inspired by Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner's 1980s cult classic film The Goonies. It was created by artist James Flame, who had this to say about the inspiration behind this piece:

"I love to tell stories with the things I draw, and the adventure of The Goonies is a hell of a big story to tell. My favorite part of any story is the peak of the set up – the part where the mood is established, the characters are coming into themselves, the scenery is starting to play a role, and it’s all at the cusp of breaking loose. And if it all stopped right there, your imagination has everything it needs to start coming up with all sorts of crazy scenarios on [its] own. Man, I love that part. This scene felt like such a natural place to stop for a second and remember how freaking awesome it was that these four best friends set out in their overwhelmingly large and intimidating world to follow a treasure map and have the adventure of a lifetime."

I absolutely love what he has done with this illustration. It's definitely one of my favorite pieces of Goonies fan art that I've come across. 

Posters will be available online at a random time on Thursday, July 3rd. Follow Mondo on Twitter for the on-sale announcement time.

Last week Guillermo del Toro announced that Legendary Pictures would be moving forward with Pacific Rim 2 and that he's writing it with Zak Penn. He's been talking about this sequel since the first movie was released and has shared some ideas for it like a Jaeger and Kaiju mashup. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal the director revealed a few new bits of information on what he's planning, and it's going to be very different film than the first one was. Here's what he had to say:

"We are three years away, so to spoil anything would be fantastically silly of me. What I can tell you: [screenwriter Zak Penn] and I really went in, we started with [screenwriter Travis Beacham] about a year and a half ago, kicking ideas back and forth. And, admittedly, I said to Zak, let’s keep kicking ideas till we find one that really, really turns the first movie on its ear, so to speak. (…) It was hard to create a world that did not come from a comic book, that had its own mythology, so we had to sacrifice many aspects to be able to cram everything in the first movie. Namely, for example “the Drift” (editor’s note: the neural link between pilots of the giant robots, or jaegers), which was an interesting concept. [Then there was] this portal that ripped a hole into the fabric of our universe, what were the tools they were using? And we came up with a really, really interesting idea. I don’t want to spoil it, but I think at the end of the second movie, people will find out that the two movies stand on their own. They’re very different from each other, although hopefully bringing the same joyful giant spectacle. But the tenor of the two movies will be quite different."

All I know is that I loved the hell out of the first movie, and it doesn't bother me that the sequel is going to be "very different." As long as the movie is just as awesome, I'm going to be a happy man.  He goes on to talk about the animated series they are developing, saying:

We are talking about all the possibilities in terms of networks. We’re formulating ideas that are, again, interesting and not the usual route, but the series tackles the stories that happened to pilots working in the Shatterdome (editor’s note: a building where jaegers are built and maintained and pilots train), but also cadets learning how to become pilots. All of this happens prior to the first movie, and it gives you a little more depth into the background of certain characters that will appear in the second movie. So it’s really expanding the material. I was incredibly happy with the comic book series that came about from a graphic novel called “Tales From Year Zero,” and we are continuing the tales for the next three years. So by the time the second movie comes out, you will have probably one year of the animation airing, and you will have three years of the comic book series ongoing, so we are trying for all these things to be canon, to be in the same universe, to not wing anything, so that if anyone … a lot of kids, for example, have discovered “Pacific Rim” through the toys. They come in through the toys, and then they watch the movie, and then they learn this, they learn that through the movie or the comic book series, so we’re trying to make it canon so we can expand the universe. And by the time we come into the second movie, you have a good feel for the world, and we can dedicate ourselves to character and ideas and spectacle.

I'm really about all this Pacific Rim awesomeness that is happening. I knew the movie would eventually happen, but the animated series was such a great surprise. Hopefully they bring on a team of talented animators to bring it to life. 

Dimension Films has debuted a new clip from Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For. It features Jessica Alba going a little crazy and chopping her hair off. It looks like she undergoes a pretty intense transformation. 

Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants.

The movie is set to be released on August 22nd.

Gaming Heads, the company behind the recent statues based on God of War and Mass Effect, have expanded their product line yet again with their inaugural series of Street Fighter plush toys. Series one will include the revered trinity of Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken, and each fighter comes in at about 12' inches tall and also includes an internal skeleton that allows for posing. If you're like me, that means that you will undoubtably recreate a fight between Chun-Li and Ken at your work desk, complete with a printed out background so it feels authentic. Each one of these adorable little guys (and gal) will cost you around $19.99, and can be ordered from their official store.

Hopefully these will sell well, as I require a Plush Dan to be a part of my collection at some point. It simply must happen.

It has been confirmed that a 6-inch action figure of the legendary white Boba Fett prototype design is being released. According to Rebel Scum, it will be available exclusively through Walgreens stores this coming fall, and you will be able to start pre-ordering the figure during San Diego Comic-Con later this month. It looks like a must own for any hardcore Star Wars collector. 

To watch the original screen test footage of Boba Fett in his white costume, click here. 

IFC Films has released an interesting featurette for Richard Linklater's 12-year passion project, Boyhood. I had a chance to see this movie at Sundance earlier this year, and I absolutely loved it. This was an incredibly ambitious project, and it turned out great. It's a movie you need to go out of your way to watch. It's such a beautiful and unique coming of age story that is unlike anything you've ever seen before. 

The featurette includes interviews Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Patricia Arquette. They discuss the project, how it came about, the shooting process, and more. The movie is set to be released on July 11th! You can read my review for the film here, and watch our video review here.

Moviefone

Open Road Films has released the first batch of photos from their upcoming live action adaptation of Max Steel, and they give us our first look at Disney star Ben Winchell as the main character. That suit he's wearing in the photo above is pretty cool. It looks like he's about ready to go ballistic on someone. 

I was never really into Max Steel, but it does sound look and sound like it has potential to be a cool flick that fans of the animated series and toy line would enjoy. Here's a brief synopsis:

"The origins story chronicles the adventures of 16-year-old Max McGrath (Winchell) and alien companion Steel, who must harness and combine their tremendous new powers to evolve into the superhero Max Steel. As these two unlikely friends struggle to accept their oddly connected fates, they begin to uncover unimaginable secrets, working together to find the truth, and fighting the mysterious forces threatening their world."

The movie also co-stars Ana Villafane, Andy Garcia, and Maria Bello, and it was written by Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World). Everyone involved with the film will be at Comic-Con later this month, and I'm sure they'll premiere some footage. 

This fan made stop-motion animated Transformers short is awesome! The next five minutes you spend watching it is better and more entertaining than anything Michael Bay has done at this point with the Transformers franchise. It was created by YouTuber jarrisloureiro, and it features Optimus Prime taking on the Constructicons. I hope you enjoy the action-packed adventure! 

I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of those reality ghost hunting shows. I find them extremely entertaining for some reason. Well, writer and director Andrew P. Jones took the basic concept of those shows and turned it into a movie, but with everything a little over-exaggerated. The movie is called Haunting of Cellblock 11. It may not look like the best movie to some of you, but sometimes I enjoy watching a ridiculous B horror movie. Here's a detailed synopsis:

In Haunting of Cellblock 11, a television ghost hunting show called "Ghost Sightings" is having trouble capturing compelling paranormal activity and faces possible cancellation by the TV network. As luck would have it, they are approached by an elderly man who is being tormented by entities and needs the team's help to rid him of his unrelenting demons. In a last ditch effort to capture apparitional evidence, the team follows the man's lead and heads to an abandoned prison in the middle of the country where they encounter skittish locals, leery of the prison and the secrets it holds.

Despite the warnings, the team sets up their cameras and investigates the infamous Freeling State Penitentiary in hopes of capturing enough evidence to keep their TV show on the air. However, it doesn't take long before the team is faced with malevolent spirits that put their lives in true danger. As the night wears on, it becomes a fight for their lives as the team struggles to survive against the ghost of an inmate who died in the prison and now is attempting to come back by inhabiting one of the team members, presenting a real, physical threat to the remaining ghost hunters.

The movie stars Jeffrey Johnson, Linara Washington, Charley Koontz, and Dee Wallace. It's actually currently available to watch on VOD from Gravitas Ventures.

Some people might shy away from having a Game of Thrones themed wedding. If you've seen the show or read the books, then you know that weddings aren't really a happy time. Kerry Ford and Darren Prew went against the odds though, entered a competition for Blinkbox and won a Game of Thrones themed wedding that included a castle, a horse, costumes, and over 50 hours of fitting, styling, and theatrical makeup. 

The bride and groom chose to dress up as Daenerys and Jon Snow on their wedding day, but the best man got the coolest makeover as a White Walker. 

Kerry is a professional baker so she chose to make her own wedding cake which you can see above. This is what she had to say about it:

"It's comprised of each of the Game of Thrones' houses, then there are the wedding vows from Game of Thrones, King Joffrey's crown made out of chocolate and topped with the famous iron throne. It was almost a shame to see it eaten. I changed my mind over the design of this cake so many times, it's the most important cake I'll ever make."

You can check out a bunch of other photos from the wedding below. Thankfully no blood was spilled and nobody died! Thanks to io9 for the tip!

I Origins is an amazing, thought provoking sci-fi film that is one of the must watch movies of the year. I saw it at Sundance and it completely blew me away. It's such a beautiful film. The story follows "a molecular biologist whose study of the human eye points to evidence with far reaching implications about our scientific and spiritual beliefs." 

The first clip is called "Disprove God," the second is "Crazy People," and the third is "Window to the Soul." All of them include philosophical discussions on what the story deals with. The movie is set to be released on July 18th, 2015. Make sure to go out and watch this movie, you won't be disappointed. It stars Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergés-Frisbey, Steven Yeun, and Archie Panjabi.

“Some of the most beautiful destinations on Earth look like shit compared to the rest of the galaxy.”

Marvel has launched a cool new website advertising Guardians of the Galaxy that is a fake galactic travel service called Galaxy Getaways. The service promises a dream vacation, and the company’s website allows you to use street view to explore a couple of locations from the Guardians universe. The site actually reveals a few fun details about the worlds that will be in the film. Those worlds include Xandar, which is the home of the Nova Corps; the desolate rock of Morag, and a place called Nowhere, which is the home of the Collector (Benicio del Toro). This is actually an entertaining site that's worth checking out. Below you'll find a great promo video advertising the service.  

The movie is set to be released on August 1st!

San Diego Comic-Con is fast approaching, so expect to see more and more news for the amazingly epic geek convention. Thanks to THR we have a look at the TV panels and screenings that will be taking place. This is all the information provided so far, but we'll have full panel schedules and additional information for you when the official schedule is released. 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 (Preview Night)

• Pilot screenings: The Flash (CW), Constantine (NBC), iZombie (CW)

THURSDAY, JULY 24

• Batman animated TV series (Cartoon Network) 6-7 p.m., Hall H.

• Hannibal (NBC)

• Teen Wolf (MTV) Panel includes Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, plus new cast members Shelley Hennig and Dylan Sprayberry, along with EP Jeff Davis.

• Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim) Panel includes Rob Corddry and cast. 6-7 p.m., Room 25ABC.

• Witches of East End (Lifetime) Panel with stars Jenna Dewan Tatum, Julia Ormond, Madchen Amick, Rachel Boston, Eric Winter and Daniel DiTomasso. 5:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 25

• Outlander (Starz) Cast and creators expected to be in attendance. 2:15 p.m., Room 6A.

• Bates Motel (A&E) 3:30 p.m.

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) For the second year in a row, the writers will take center stage for a Q&A. 10-11 a.m., Ballroom 20.

• iZombie (CW) The midseason drama from Rob Thomas will screen the pilot, with a short Q&A to follow featuring cast Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley and EPs Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright. 11:30-12:30 p.m., Room 6BCF.

• Mike Tyson Mysteries (Adult Swim) Mike Tyson will preview his new animated comedy series on a panel that also features Rachel Ramras, Jim Rash, and producer Hugh Davidson. 2:30-3:15 p.m., Indigo Ballroom.

• The 100 (CW) Video presentation and Q&A with the cast and EP Jason Rothenberg. 3:15-4:15, Room 6BCF.

• The Originals (CW) EP Julie Plec and co-EP Michael Narducci will be joined by stars Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Phoebe Tonkin, Charles Michael Davis, Leah Pipes and Danielle Campbell for a video presentation followed by Q&A. 4:15-5:15 p.m., Ballroom 20.

• Arrow (CW) Stars Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes, Willa Holland, Paul Blackthorne and John Barrowman — with EPs Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg — will unspool a video presentation and panel discussion previewing season three. 5:30-6:30 p.m., Ballroom 20.

• @Midnight live show (Comedy Central) 10:30 p.m., Balboa Theatre. RSVP required.

SATURDAY, JULY 26

• The Vampire Diaries (CW) Stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham join EP Julie Plec for a video screening and Q&A. 4-4:45 p.m., Ballroom 20.

• Constantine (NBC) Pilot screening followed by Q&A with stars Matt Ryan, Harold Perrineau and Charles Halford join EPs Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer. 5:15-6:15 p.m., Room 6BCF.

• Person of Interest (CBS) EP Greg Plageman joins series stars for a special video presentation and Q&A. 6:15-7 p.m., Room 6BCF.

• Warner Bros. Television & DC Entertainment Present: The Flash, Constantine, Arrow and the world premiere of Gotham (Fox) with appearances by casts and producers. The Flash pilot will also be screened, with video presentations of Arrow and Constantine. Cast and producers from all four shows will also appear throughout the night. 8-11 p.m., Hall H.

• Grimm (NBC) 3 p.m., Ballroom 20.

SUNDAY, JULY 27

• Supernatural (CW) Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins and Mark A. Sheppard, along with EP Jeremy Carver preview season 10. The panel will feature an exclusive video presentation with series highlights and special features from the season nine DVD set. 10-11 a.m., Hall H.

• The Following (Fox) Stars Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore, Sam Underwood and Jessica Stroup join EPs Kevin Williamson, Marcos Siega and Jennifer Johnson for a Q&A and special video presentation. 11:15-12:15 p.m., Hall H.

• Teen Titans Go! (Cartoon Network) Q&A with producers Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath and members of the voice cast. Panel will include a special appearance by Puffy AmiYumi, the Japanese pop duo responsible for the theme song from the original Teen Titans series. 11:45-12:45 p.m., Room 6BCF.

Universal Pictures has moved the released date up a week for Fast and Furious 7. The movie was supposed to be released on April 10th, but will now hit theaters on April 3rd, 2015.

James Wan is directing the next highly anticipated installment of the awesome franchise, and it stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Kurt Russell, and more.

I'm surprised they've managed to keep the plot of this film under wraps for so long. We still have no real idea what it will entail, but I know it's going to be a lot of fun! 

The studio also announced that Insidious: Chapter 3 will now be released on May 29th, 2015 instead of April 3rd. The movie is being directed by Leigh Whannel, and it's the first film in the franchise that's not being directed by Wan. I love this horror franchise, and I can't wait to see where the story goes!

Super7 has revealed a really cool Alien movie playset  that will be available exclusively at 2014 San Diego Comic-Con. It's called the Alien Egg Chamber ReAction Playset, and these are the details they provided us:

The highly anticipated playset that will pull on nostalgic heartstrings of 70’s youth will be exclusively released at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Now you can relive the excitement of the Nostromo Crew’s journey into the Derelict Alien Spaceship! Venture with Kane deep into the mysterious Egg Chamber ReAction Playset and pose your sturdy ReAction Figures on the detailed, egg-covered base. Inspired by the playsets of the 1970’s and packaged in an era appropriate photo box, the playset provides the perfect backdrop for all of your ReAction Adventures.  The playset comes complete with classically styled action base made from durable hand-cast resin and corrugated cardboard, full-color Alien Egg Silo backdrop that slides into the base for display. ReAction Figures sold separately. Limit to one per person for the entirety of the show.  Limited run of 250/numbered. 

I love the little kids that are playing with the set in the cover art. That's one thing I miss about the '70s and '80s… the kids toys that were made for hard R films. 

IMP Awards

Universal Pictures has released a series of character posters for their upcoming murderous thriller, The Purge: Anarchy. They feature five masked maniacs who are out to fulfill their murderous desires.

I watched the first movie for the first time about a month ago, and it was better than I was expecting. I have to say that the sequel looks a lot better. I'm not really that excited for the film, but I do like the fact that they opened up this world and give us a look at the madness that ensues outside and in the streets of a major city. 

The movie was written and directed by James DeMonaco, and it stars Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, and Keith Stanfield. The movie comes out on July 18th. Click on any of the images below to see the full sized posters.

Just in case you need to wash the bad taste of Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction out of your mouth, here's an awesome set of fan art that was inspired by the classic cartoon designs. They were created by Carlos Valzonline and feature Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ultra Magnus, and one of my favorites… Jazz. Just for the hell of it I also included his Cyclone Armor from Robotech: The New Generation.

In celebration of the 4th of July, 20th Century Fox released a chilling new TV spot with new footage. What makes this spot stand out is the fact that it's cut to president John F. Kennedy's famous address at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1962. The movie comes out on July 11th. Happy independence day!