Film news recap: superheroes update on X-Men, TMNT and DC Comics

(AFP/GABRIEL BOUYS)

A new cast member is revealed for the next X-Men flick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to go live-action and superheroes galore at Warner Bros.

X-Men
Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn, whose next project is X-Men: First Class, has cast James McAvoy ( Atonement, Wanted, The Last King of Scotland) in the role of Professor Charles Xavier. The character was previously played by Patrick Stewart in X-Men: The Last Stand. The story follows the early days of Xavier and Erik Lensherr (Magneto played by Ian McKellen), who discovered their powers before they became arch-enemies. A June 2011 release date is planned.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, the children's television channel, plan to bring back Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a new generation. The animated 1980s television series turned into a movie in 1990, featuring the quartet of ninjitsu-trained humanoid turtles, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donetello, and Raphael, will return to the big screen as a live-action film produced by Michael Bay ( Transformers, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th). It is scheduled for a 2011 release.

DC Comics characters
With the Harry Potter franchise coming to a close soon, Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing out the Green Lantern June 2011. Besides its new Batman by director Christopher Nolan, scheduled for July 2012, the studio seeks to line up films based on other DC Comics characters, including The Flash, Wonder Woman, and even Aquaman. Per the Heat Vision blog, it will also resurrect Superman for a December 2012 release, possibly titled "The Man of Steel."

RC