For years, the Pixar team has talked up their central creative powerhouse – the “Brain Trust” of writers, directors, story artists and more – who help to guide each of their movies through difficult gestation periods. Given the remarkable level of success generated by the process, you’d think every studio in town would have tried it at least once. Well, Warner Bros. is getting into the game with a new attempt to crack the crowded blockbuster animation film and has recruited the likes of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller to head up such an idea.

The think tank will at first be comprised of Lord and Miller with Crazy, Stupid, Love co-directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, The Muppets’ co-writer Nicholas Stoller and Bolt/Mr Popper’s Penguins writer Jared Stern.

Interestingly, none of the team – except for Requa and Ficarra – have had really strong attachments to Warners in the past (unlike Pixar’s bunch, which includes veterans John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter), and they’re all free to continue developing projects elsewhere.

The aim apparently will be to release one ‘toon a year at first under Warners’ main banner, kicking off with Lord and Miller’s Lego film next year, Stoller’s Storks written by former Pixar man Doug Sweetland in 2015 and Requa and Ficarra’s Smallfoot, which they’re writing from Sergio Pablos’ idea with Pablos himself lined up to direct for 2016.

“Warner Bros. has an extraordinary legacy in the world of animation, including some of the most enduring characters in cinema history,” said Warner Pictures group president Jeff Robinov tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Looking to the future, we have now gathered some of the best and brightest talents in the industry to help us grow and broaden that legacy. Drawing upon their imaginations and inspiration, the studio will produce a slate of new and original animated films that are sure to delight audiences of all ages.”

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Marvel Studios

One of the hallmarks of Marvel Comics is the fact that, underneath their underoos, their heroes are real people with real world problems. So it's only fitting that,...

As Godzilla prepares to stomp back into cinemas next year with Monsters Man Gareth Edwards overseeing the mayhem, a few issues have cropped up with the film, including another writer switch as Legendary Pictures brings in Frank Darabont to take a script pass and a producer ditch as Dan Lin and Roy Lee have left.

Though it has already gone through a fair number of writers –including Batman veteran David Goyer, Iron Man 3’s Drew Pearce, The Expendables' David Callaham and Swordswallowers And Thin Men’s Max Borenstein – that’s hardly unusual for a big project such as this and Darabont’s experience with genre films makes us think he could make some great additions, particularly if Edwards is looking to maintain the film’s moody, modern day take on the massive beast.

More worrying is the behind-the-scenes tension with the producers, which could turn acrimonious over money. Still, we’re hopeful that it’ll be a minor blip on the radar. Especially as Hitfix’s report mentions that Edwards presented his vision for the movie to Warners brass recently, and secured a March start date to have the cameras whirring. Given what we thought of the comic-con test footage, we don’t doubt it.

And he’ll need to get a move on: Godzilla is set to crash into cinemas on May 16 next year.

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Dear lord, how did L.A. not collapse under the weight of all this testosterone?

It was manly men galore as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude...

As revealed last autumn, Warners are planning to add to the recent spate of proposed Biblical epics with its own yarn based around Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. Deadline now reports that Brad Pitt is circling the lead role. Reports that it's because he wants to wash his hands of World War Z remain unverified.

The familiar version of Pilate is more or less the one played - rather well - by Hristo Shopov in Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ, and by David Bowie in Scorsese's Last Temptation (although perhaps you prefer Telly Savalas in The Greatest Story Ever Told). He's the politician that orders Jesus' crucifixion, securing himself a role as one of history's greatest villains.

There's plenty more to his story than that though, and the idea of the character's younger years as a ferocious military badass under the rule of Emperor Tiberius, might perhaps explain the attraction to the historically, epically-inclined Brad Pitt of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy.

Pitt, just coming off the aforementioned World War Z, Steve McQueen's Twelve Years A Slave and Ridley Scott's The Counsellor, has yet to commit, but Deadline believes that may soon change. Warners seem to have great confidence in Vera Blasi's Pontius Pilate screenplay, which blends historical and fictional elements, and features juicy walk-ons for the likes of Salome and Caligula. If it happens, it'll follow Darren Aronofsky's Noah, and possible other Biblical projects from the likes of Will Smith and, tantalisingly, Paul Verhoeven.

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Universal

We scour the interwebs for the coolest movie news and more so you don't have to ...

Calling all amateur singers, beat-boxers and dancers! If you've got what it...

Back in November there were reports that Guillermo Del Toro was in some way involved in developing a movie around some of DC Comics' darker and more esoteric characters (Swamp Thing, John Constantine, etc). Further confirmation that a game is afoot comes this morning, with Del Toro confirming to IGN that the project, formerly referred to as Heaven Sent, is now tentatively called Dark Universe, and that a writer - as yet unrevealed - is almost attached.

"I'm working on it," says Del Toro. "I'm writing the outline, and we're in talks with a very, very good writer. He accepted, and people are going to be happy with who we've chosen. I've been courting him and I think he's the perfect guy for this job."

Dark Universe, it seems clear, is somewhat akin to DC's Justice League Dark, a recent series teaming DC heroes that are supernatural rather than traditionally super: part of DC's push to de-clutter its decks and fold its Vertigo-type characters into its main "universe". Del Toro hints to IGN that his roster for the film will cover Hellblazer's John Constantine, slinky magician Zatanna and her father Zatara, Swamp Thing, Deadman, The Demon and The Spectre.

Constantine, of course, was last played in the film of the same name by Keanu Reeves in 2005, while we haven't had a screen Swamp Thing since 1989. Last we heard, Supernatural's Eric Kripke was developing Deadman for a TV series, but it's unclear where that now stands. Del Toro had been at work on bringing the character to the movies for some time before, so it seems likely Dark Universe will envelop some of his earlier efforts, should it go ahead.

It's another hero team-up movie in a market perhaps already saturated by The Avengers and the upcoming Justice League, but says Del Toro, "The movement for this happened before [The Avengers]. They were already galvanised to launch Justice League and to make their universe cohesive. With Man Of Steel DC are really very confident with what they have. They're now feeling that they have two pillars, Batman and Superman... There's a foundation they can now build on. Hopefully Dark Universe will happen."

We'll keep you posted, as always.

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Ezra Miller is who he is. And he's a "queer." (His words, not ours.)

The 19-year-old breakout star from last year's "We Need to Talk About Kevin"and...

The chimes of midnight have struck and unfortunately for Disney, director Mark Romanek has turned into a pumpkin and two white mice. Which is to say he’s decided to stop working with the studio on its new, live-action Cinderella remake.

"The Walt Disney Studios and Mark Romanek have parted ways on Disney’s Cinderella project," the company said in a statement picked up by The Hollywood Reporter. "We are committed to moving the project forward and have begun the search for a new director. The team here at Disney respects Mark as both a director and a friend, and we hope to find something to work on together in the future."

While both sides have been coy about what happened, Deadline reports that the Never Let Me Go director didn’t see eye to eye with the Mouse House over the vision for the film. He wanted something dark and likely unique, where as Disney is hoping this becomes the next Alice In Wonderland – quirky, but with wider appeal. Romanek has form on this front – he was attached to Universal’s The Wolfman for years but pulled the eject cord and was replaced by Joe Johnston.

This new take on Cinderella still has Cate Blanchett attached to star and a script from Chris Weitz and Aline Brosh McKenna.

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