End of the Year Update: Trailergasm Edition

Okay, Trailergasm has been slacking as of late, so here it is, the end of the year massive update on the best trailers out there for movies still to come in the future (in no particular order):

"Transformers: The Dark of the Moon" - July 1, 2011

The third installment of Michael Bay's franchise has got to be better than "Revenge of the Fallen". No Megan Fox? Sure, we'll miss that face, but not that acting. This third act is going to be a huge improvement over the second film, count on it.




"Green Lantern" - June 17, 2011

Most casual fans aren't as familiar with this hero as let's say a Spider-Man or Batman, but that is no reason to shy away from this film. While the suit leaves a bit to be desired (they'll make it look much better as post production moves along), the cast is fantastic with Ryan Reynolds leading the way and a stacked supporting cast of Peter Sarsgaard, Blake Lively and Mark Strong backing him up.



"Thor" - May 6, 2011

This is Marvel's next huge film, having dropped "Iron Man 2" last summer in anticipation for 2012's "The Avengers". "Thor" takes the reigns this time around with director Kenneth Branagh at the helm, which is one thing the film has going for it. Branagh wasn't the most obvious choice to direct, he has a distinct theater background, but rememebr, Jon Faverau wasn't the seemingly perfect choice for "Iron Man", and that turned out pretty good. Natalie Portman..hot. This is one not to miss.



"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" - May 20, 2011

Jack Sparrow may be one of the best characters ever to grace film screens and the reason for that is Johnny Depp. I don't care what crazy type of trouble the pirates have gotten themselves into this time, because no matter where Captain Jack Sparrow rides I'll gladly follow.



"Cedar Rapids" - February 11, 2011

This one may seem a bit out of place with all these action and superhero films, but this might be my favorite one to see of the bunch. Honestly the only reason I say that is because Andy Bernard, aka my boy Ed Helms is starring in this film, and he is one of my favorite actors and finally he is getting the chance to show off as a starring man. Sure, this won't be a perfect movie, but Dunder Mifflin's favorite employee is starring in it, and I know it will be hilarious. At least he will be.

Stuart Townsend Departs "Thor"

Already well known for being replaced on Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings,” Stuart Townsend has departed Marvel Comics' movie adaptation of "Thor" because of creative differences, reports the Associated Press.

According to the AP: The Irish actor left production days before its planned start of filming in Los Angeles. Townsend had been cast as Fandral, an ally of Norse god Thor, according to the two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

The ally of the Norse god (being played by Chris Hemsworth) now will be portrayed by Joshua Dallas, who also will be seen in the upcoming “The Descent 2” and George Lucas' Tuskegee Airmen film, “Red Tails,” alongside Terrence Howard who dropped out of "Iron Man 2."

The studio has just moved up the release date of "Thor" by two weeks to open the summer movie season of 2011, but they will have to continue without Townsend.

While this can be looked at as negative news for “Thor," everyone should remember that a decade ago Townsend left production on Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, in which he was to play Aragorn. Viggo Mortensen, who was fantastic in the part, replaced him. Things worked out pretty well for Jackson and those films, so hopefully “Thor” won’t suffer from this loss.

What exactly are “creative differences” anyway?

The "creative differences" in 2001 belonged more to Jackson, who recognized a bit too late that Townsend didn't quite have the tough-worn look necessary for the battle-tested Aragorn. It's pretty ridiculous to think that the actor would willingly quit another potential blockbuster.

Clearly, director Kenneth Branagh or someone else felt that Townsend just wasn’t right for the part. I mean honestly, what part of the adventurer that Stan Lee based off the persona of Errol Flynn and often described as "romantic" and "brave" could you possibly have had creative differences with anyway? It seems pretty straightforward to me.

Either way, Townsend is off, and newcomer Dallas has a chance to play an important role in a big-budget film.

“Thor” will be released May 6, 2011.