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As is tradition at Pixar, the studio will be debuting a new short film in front of Toy Story 3 this summer from one of their own artists. This year’s short is called Day & Night and is the directorial debut of Teddy Newton , a storyboard artist on The Iron Giant and character designer for The Incredibles and Presto , too. ComingSoon has revealed our very first look at the short by way of this interesting advertising banner (seen below). This isn’t official confirmed, but both SlashFilm and I think that this may actually be a 2D animated film about these two characters, and it looks quite wonderful, as always. Check out the new first look below! Here’s the official Day & Night plot synopsis: “When Day , a sunny fellow, encounters Night , a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other’s unique qualities — and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world — the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.” I’m curious if Pixar titled this Night & Day originally and had to change it to Day & Night once Fox retitled their summer Tom Cruise action movie to Knight & Day . Don’t get confused – one of them has a “k”, the other doesn’t. I’m already looking forward to seeing this in front of Toy Story 3 this summer! You? Discover More: First Look , Hype , Photos

And I thought this project was dead! Deadline is reporting that British director Rupert Wyatt is Fox’s top choice to direct the Planet of the Apes prequel. Wait – there’s a Planet of the Apes prequel? We’ve been reporting various rumors and rumblings about a new Apes movie for years, but it never got off the ground. Now this hits almost out of nowhere. Deadline’s report is also suspiciously brief, stating: “No start date, but Wyatt’s come aboard to develop to direct .” They also say the script they’re using was written by Rick Jaffa ( The Relic ) and Amanda Silver ( The Hand That Rocks the Cradle ). So who is this Rupert Wyatt guy anyway? Wyatt is a British filmmaker who got his start directing a few short films. He then directed his first feature called The Escapist in 2008, which was one of my favorite movies of that year. He hasn’t directed anything since then, but if you’ve seen The Escapist (and not many people have), you will agree with me about how much potential this guy has, especially if they give him a huge project like Planet of the Apes . Speaking of which, I have a feeling Fox wants to keep this grounded and low budget, so that it can’t potentially flop big like Tim Burton’s Planets of the Apes . But details are sparse at the moment and it’s too early to tell anyway. The last time we wrote about Planet of the Apes was back in December of 2008 and it was only to provide an update on an Apes prequel called Caesar written (and to be directed) by Scott Frank . However, it looks like that project was thrown out and Fox may be going a different route, but then again Deadline never mentions the name of the project that Wyatt is now developing (it could be Caesar ). I did a quick search and found an article from January this year on CHUD that confirms that Frank left the prequel, which explains why Wyatt is now on-board instead. We’ll let you know if we hear anything else about this, so stay tuned. Thoughts? Discover More: Movie News , Opinions , Rumors

And I thought this project was dead! Deadline is reporting that British director Rupert Wyatt is Fox’s top choice to direct the Planet of the Apes prequel. Wait – there’s a Planet of the Apes prequel? We’ve been reporting various rumors and rumblings about a new Apes movie for years, but it never got off the ground. Now this hits almost out of nowhere. Deadline’s report is also suspiciously brief, stating: “No start date, but Wyatt’s come aboard to develop to direct .” They also say the script they’re using was written by Rick Jaffa ( The Relic ) and Amanda Silver ( The Hand That Rocks the Cradle ). So who is this Rupert Wyatt guy anyway? Wyatt is a British filmmaker who got his start directing a few short films. He then directed his first feature called The Escapist in 2008, which was one of my favorite movies of that year. He hasn’t directed anything since then, but if you’ve seen The Escapist (and not many people have), you will agree with me about how much potential this guy has, especially if they give him a huge project like Planet of the Apes . Speaking of which, I have a feeling Fox wants to keep this grounded and low budget, so that it can’t potentially flop big like Tim Burton’s Planets of the Apes . But details are sparse at the moment and it’s too early to tell anyway. The last time we wrote about Planet of the Apes was back in December of 2008 and it was only to provide an update on an Apes prequel called Caesar written (and to be directed) by Scott Frank . However, it looks like that project was thrown out and Fox may be going a different route, but then again Deadline never mentions the name of the project that Wyatt is now developing (it could be Caesar ). I did a quick search and found an article from January this year on CHUD that confirms that Frank left the prequel, which explains why Wyatt is now on-board instead. We’ll let you know if we hear anything else about this, so stay tuned. Thoughts? Discover More: Movie News , Opinions , Rumors

I don’t think there was anyone watching Shutter Island this weekend who thought to themselves “I wish this was in 3D.” In fact, there probably were some people, and that’s the problem. I’ve begun to slowly accept and appreciate 3D when used properly (e.g. Avatar , Coraline , Tron Legacy ) and used in moderation , as in not for every last movie. But with interest in 3D picking up again, that concern is becoming a reality. “If Coraline ‘ was and Up was a subtle version of what you’d expect for 3-D, why couldn’t a traditional drama work just as well?” director Chris Columbus asks in an AP article on 3D . He’s not the only one they talk to! The most interesting quote of the article comes from Shutter Island director and master filmmaker Martin Scorsese , who pitches in the opening paragraph: “Why couldn’t a film like Precious be in 3-D? It should be.” I love Scorsese, but that’s not a question I ever wanted to hear, especially because that’s right where they’re crossing the line with 3D. Scorsese goes on to try and convince us by saying, “we see in depth, for the most part. We go to the theater — it’s in depth.” True, but 3D is too gimmicky to work well for every movie. Just a few weeks ago we talked about how bad it is to convert a 2D movie in post instead of shooting in 3D. Scorsese later goes on to say “I’d love to do [a 3D movie],” only as “long as he can still move the camera the way he’d like to.” Sure, maybe if they render a digital world and use the cameras Cameron used on Avatar . “It just seems natural that we’d be going in that direction,” he explains. “It’s going to be something to look forward to, but to be used interestingly.” I’m not sure “interestingly” is the right word to describe how it’s going to be used. I prefer inappropriately or excessively or poorly, which already happens all too often. It’s a good article and I suggest reading the entire thing . Does anyone actually want to see Precious in 3D? Discover More: Discussion , Editorials , Opinions

Now that you’ve seen it, what did you think? Opening in theaters this weekend is Kevin Smith’s ninth feature film, called Cop Out , following Zack and Miri Make a Porno from 2008. It’s a modern day buddy cop comedy in the same vein as the Lethal Weapon movies of the 80’s, but is it as good those? Cop Out got slammed by critics and has a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes , but were the critics just unable to enjoy the humor? How are Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as partners? Is it as good as Kevin Smith’s past few films or worse? If you’ve seen it, then leave a comment below and let us know what you thought of Kevin Smith’s Cop Out . To fuel the fire, I really wanted to like this movie, but ultimately I couldn’t. I didn’t understand what movie was trying to do – make a mockery of the buddy cop comedies of the 80’s or be a modern version of an 80’s buddy cop comedy, funny in its own way? Unfortunately it just felt like a mess and although I enjoyed a few parts of it, overall it wasn’t that good. All of the good jokes were spoiled in the trailer and everything else in it wasn’t funny. I didn’t find myself laughing much and wasn’t otherwise impressed with the characters or anything. However, I will say I was impressed to see that everything in the story connected together so well. What did you think of Cop Out ? Another solid comedy or one of the worst movies of the year? Discover More: Discussion , Hype , Sound Off

I know we’ve already seen a lot from Clash of the Titans , but these new TV spots (via TheMovieBox ) are fantastic. I first saw them while watching the Olympics tonight and was thoroughly impressed. They finally do away with the rock music and just go with some intense drum beats to get everyone excited. I still think this looks great and I can’t wait to see it. Check out that scene in the first TV spot below with Perseus ( Sam Worthington ) meeting Pegasus for the first time – it’s very similar to the scene from the original. I feel like they’ve paid the original version a true homage with this. I guess we’ll find out how true in about a month! Watch the first new TV spot for Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans : Watch the second new TV spot for Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans : Follows Perseus and his quest to battle Medusa and the Kraken in order to save the Princess Andromeda. Clash of the Titans is directed by French filmmaker Louis Leterrier , of Unleashed , Transporter 2 , and The Incredible Hulk previously. The screenplay was originally written by Lawrence Kasdan ( Raiders of the Lost Ark ) then later revised by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (both of Crazy/Beautiful , The Tuxedo , Aeon Flux ). This is a remake of Desmond Davis’ original 1981 classic movie of the same name. Warner Brothers will be bringing Clash of the Titans to regular 2D and 3D theaters everywhere starting on April 2nd . Still excited? Discover More: TV Spots , Worth Watching

It wasn’t long ago that Joss Whedon’s last TV series “Dollhouse” aired its final episode, but it looks like Whedon and “Dollhouse” star Eliza Dushku will be reteaming again for another feature project. Found on the gossip site Hollywood Life (via SlashFilm ) is a quote from Dushku talking about a new project. “I would say that we would [be working on something new very soon]!” Dushku said. “I think we’re going to work on a kickass feature together that we’ve been thinking about for a few years.” Well that sounds pretty cool – but exactly what is it? SlashFilm thinks it’s a horror project called Goners that’s been around since 2005. Goners is a supernatural horror thriller of some kind, but Whedon has been very secretive about it and we don’t know really know what it’s about. One quote says that “it’s the story of a young woman’s journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics.” Whedon describes it another time as “a fantasy thriller , it is pretty dark and it’s all me. So people will pretty much know what that means if they look at my body of work.” That’s not much help. He adds that “it’s a new universe set in the present day with a new concept for me and a new bunch of characters. It’s been a long time since I got to do that, so that’s really fun.” It does? It could always be some other new project that isn’t Goners , but I don’t think so. Even though I didn’t watch “Dollhouse”, I’m still a fan of Joss Whedon and want him to direct another movie, since it’s been a long time ( Serenity in 2005) and his feature projects all keep falling apart. Goners is listed as “on the backburner at Universal,” so let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart before we find out if it was the one she was even talking about. Discover More: Casting News , Movie News , Rumors

It wasn’t long ago that Joss Whedon’s last TV series “Dollhouse” aired its final episode, but it looks like Whedon and “Dollhouse” star Eliza Dushku will be reteaming again for another feature project. Found on the gossip site Hollywood Life (via SlashFilm ) is a quote from Dushku talking about a new project. “I would say that we would [be working on something new very soon]!” Dushku said. “I think we’re going to work on a kickass feature together that we’ve been thinking about for a few years.” Well that sounds pretty cool – but exactly what is it? SlashFilm thinks it’s a horror project called Goners that’s been around since 2005. Goners is a supernatural horror thriller of some kind, but Whedon has been very secretive about it and we don’t know really know what it’s about. One quote says that “it’s the story of a young woman’s journey that involves a great deal of horror and some heroics.” Whedon describes it another time as “a fantasy thriller , it is pretty dark and it’s all me. So people will pretty much know what that means if they look at my body of work.” That’s not much help. He adds that “it’s a new universe set in the present day with a new concept for me and a new bunch of characters. It’s been a long time since I got to do that, so that’s really fun.” It does? It could always be some other new project that isn’t Goners , but I don’t think so. Even though I didn’t watch “Dollhouse”, I’m still a fan of Joss Whedon and want him to direct another movie, since it’s been a long time ( Serenity in 2005) and his feature projects all keep falling apart. Goners is listed as “on the backburner at Universal,” so let’s hope it doesn’t fall apart before we find out if it was the one she was even talking about. Discover More: Casting News , Movie News , Rumors

Don’t get too excited (or angry) yet, nothing has been officially decided. In fact, this isn’t even the first time we’ve heard this. Back in early February, it was stated in a trades story that Michael Bay has been debating with Paramount and ILM about going 3D for Transformers 3 (due in July of 2011 ). As we already know, Hollywood is going 3D crazy right now thanks to Avatar , but it looks like Bay is doing the smart thing and testing out 3D before deciding whether that’s really the route they want to go with the sequel;. Bay himself has even said that he’s not a big fan of 3D, which is why I’m actually surprised that this is what he’s doing. Bay appeared on Starz’ “In the House” last night and MTV transcribed what he said about Transformers 3 . “It’s a process we’re testing with some ‘Transformers’ scenes,” he said. “How successful it is with my movie in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens, because hopefully that process will work. I’ve seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage.” Peter from SlashFilm brings up a good point – Bay uses the term “process” (multiple times), not something like “technology”, which sounds like they’re testing a post conversion process, not the idea of shooting it in 3D from the start. Unfortunately, we already know that’s a very bad idea . I hope his tests show that it’s not a good idea if that’s what they’re planning to do. I don’t understand why studios won’t just support shooting with 3D cameras? On Transformers , it may be that Bay’s shooting style is too chaotic and crazy to actually use 3D cameras, since they’re a bit bigger and require more equipment. As for what else to expect in this? “We’re adding a lot of new elements. We’re adding new characters. We’re adding a lot of twists .” Oh joy! Discover More: Hype , Movie News , Opinions

Another new project for Kevin Costner . Variety announces tonight that Costner will re-team with director Kevin Reynolds for a new spy comedy called Learning Italian . The concept, which is pretty great, sees Costner as a CIA agent who has been stationed in an idyllic coastal town in Italy to keep an eye on a KGB agent there — until both secret agencies order the two spies to return to their respective countries and cook up a pseudo-threat to justify their continued stays in Italy. That sounds like a love story? Why else would the two want to return to Italy? We haven’t seen a spy comedy since Get Smart , so I’m excited for another. This will be the fourth time Costner and Reynolds have worked together following Fandango (1985), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1981) and Waterworld (1995). We all know what a mess Waterworld was, so let’s hope this doesn’t production doesn’t encounter similar problems. Considering this is an indie with a small budget, I don’t think we have to be worried. Learning Italian has received funding from the Bavarian Bank Fund in order to shoot at the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich and around southern Germany. I’m already curious to find out who they cast as the other KGB spy? We’ll let you know once it’s announced – stay tuned! Discover More: Casting News , Movie News