1. From the “too soon” department, Japanese company Hot Toys is releasing a “tribute” 12-inch Michael Jackson “T
hriller” action figure … with interchangeable zombie head. Personally, I’m not too sure what was wrong with Hot Toys’ original 3-inch “Cosbaby” version of the Michael Jackson Thriller.
2. “Harry Potter and the Sixth Movie: It’s Two to Go Now?” has -- so they tell me -- made $456 billion at the global box office in the past 14 and a half minutes. That means, technically, I’ve already seen it, although I don’t remember doing so. But hey, that’s the power of magic, right? What I do know is the film’s success will inspire more “Wizard Rock” -- better known as “Wrock” -- bands. I wish I were joking as much as I wish they didn’t make jokes about “Wrocking and Rowling.”
3. The zombies just keep on coming. Matthew Michael Carnahan is set to try his hand at adapting Max Brooks’ best-selling docu-novel “World War Z” for director Marc Foster. If Carnahan’s previous produced scripts, like “Lions for Lambs” and “State of Play” are any measure, these zombies might have brai
ns, rather than eat them. No chance of that in “Resident Evil 4,” greenlit today, which will -- guaranteed -- be another slam-bam-thank-you-undead-ma’am installment from that unstoppable team of director Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. And this just in! Zombies have invaded Granite Falls, North Carolina! And the locals are loving it.
4. To celebrate next week’s 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon -- and to help forget the whole NASA-erases-tapes thing -- rap along to “Rocket Experience” with Buzz Aldrin! In a video directed by McG!
5. Unholy guacamole! Bobby D. and Robby R., together at last? Bloody Disgusting is reporting that “Machete,” the full-length feature version of the faux-trailer seen in “Grindhouse” two years back, is set to go before cameras on July 29 -- and that Robert De Niro is set to
play “Senator McLaughlin” for Robert Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis. Rounding out the cast? Danny Trejo as the revenge-mad Mexican of the title, Jonah Hill and Michelle Rodriguez. This could be fun.
6. Talk about hitting one out of the park. Aussie actor Xavier Samuel, 25, has landed the role of “newborn vampire” Riley in “Eclipse,” the third “Twilight” movie, just one week after touching down in L.A. to chase his dreams. “I guess there’s something very intriguing about the notion of eternal love,” Samuel said of vampires after getting the part, ensuring a million teen hearts start a-thumping.
