The casting of "The Dark Knight Rises" continues to throw serious curveballs that has led to all kinds of speculation. The returning cast is Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox, and Nestor Carbonell as The Mayor. Thus far, additional cast includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Josh Pence as Young Ra's Al Ghul. Rumors have abound that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was to  play Albert Falcone which indicated a possible storyline based on "Batman; The Long Halloween" graphic novel. Not unlikely, especially since "Batman Begins" had elements of "Batman: Year One", his character John Blake is described as a beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commisioner Gordon; a possible misdirect? Remember. we are dealing with Christopher Nolan and he's a master of secrets and surprise. There have been other rumors relating to Aaron Ekhardt somehow returning as Two Face and while anything is possible, it seems highly unlikely. In any event, "The Dark Knight Rises" will reveal how a true franchise provides quantity and doesn't sacrifice quality. Unfortunately, the movie being decribed as the conclusion to the Dark Knight movie story, won't be released until July 20, 2012. 

     I recently saw a trailer on Access Hollywood for the movie "Rise of the Planet of The Apes". starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, and Frieda Pinto. I also noticed that Tom Felton, Brian Cox, and John Lithgow are among the cast.The trailer made the movie look promising. The movie is directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist). There was no mention or even any indication that this movie is related in any way to Tim Burton's 2001 movie version of "The Planet of the Apes". That would be a relief since that movie was quite a disappointment, especially that so-called shock ending that most sci-fi buffs saw coming a mile away. I won't even get into the scathing comments made about it by director Kevin Smith (Clerks,Dogma).

     Another movie to look forward to is "Thor" which opens May 6. This promises to be more than just another superhero movie, especially since the movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Hamlet) and hosts a stellar cast that includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin just for starters. I found out that Jeremy Renner is listed in the cast as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. I wonder if his role will be just a teaser for the upcoming "Avengers" movie or will it be more than a brief appearance.Whatever the case may be, I'm excited about both movies, even though "Avengers" won't be released until next summer. There will be movies aplenty this summer to keep most of us quite entertained.

     Worth mentioning is that after ten seasons Smallville will end with a 2 hour series finale on Friday, May 13. The few remaining episodes are entitled "Booster","Dominion",and "Prophecy" and the as yet untitled final episode. I will miss this show and the very fresh and inspired way it presented the Superman mythos.They managed to incorporate classic characters and elements in an original light and that made them seem new and exciting,and introduce us to some new characters that we have become endeared to. I look forward to seeing what they do for a finale.