I know what you're going to say -- am I that desperate for news of Bond, that even the slightest tidbit is enough to catch my eye? As it turns out, the answer is yes. CommanderBond.net recently reported that some unofficial location scouting took place for Bond 22 in Bregenz, Austria earlier this month. Representatives for a opera house in Bregenz confirmed that "people from Pinewood Studios in London" were nosing around. According to CommanderBond, the "people" were producer Barbara Broccoli and director Marc Forster.

Broccoli and Forster visited The Floating Stage on Lake Constance and they also spent some time watching a rehearsal for the festival's upcoming production of Tosca. The rep went on to say that he was expecting a decision sometime this fall, but there were no details of what the production had planned for the opera house.

Last month Foster had confirmed that they were planning on shooting in the Alps, and now we could be adding Austria to the list. (By the way, news about locations seems downright benign with the fallout from a comic Bond still being felt.) Sources at IGN are convinced that producers have given the green light for all the quips and double entendres in the script (which had received a little polishing from Paul Haggis back in May). The possibility that fans were going to have a much more jovial kind of Bond received some mixed reactions. The Guardian newspaper even joined in on the outcry and pleaded with producers to leave the jokes at the door claiming it was the, "creaking gags that sank Bond as a cinematic force." But to this day, there has yet to be a peep out of the production about what Forster really has planned, direction-wise. Not to mention the fact that we've all been burned by bogus rumors before.

Just yesterday we learned that actor Thomas Jane was hanging up his Punisher T-shirt (you know, the black one with the skull on it) for good, and today there seems to be just a little more news regarding the sequel. According to Freeze Dried Movies (aka Bloody-Disgusting.com), none other than John Dahl is presently in talks to helm The Punisher 2. We'll give FDM the benefit of the doubt until we get some secondary confirmation, but this would be a pretty interesting pairing. (And if it turns out our source is right, then damn good job on the scoop, fellas.)

For those who thought film noir died in the '60s, let me introduce John Dahl. Sometimes writer / solid director behind The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, Joy Ride and Rounders, Dahl is (in this commentator's humble opinion) a damn fine filmmaker. OK sure, that Unforgettable flick was pretty darn ... forgettable, but I'm one of the few who thought Mr. Dahl's foray into the wartime genre (The Great Raid) was quite the underrated flick. (The director also has the dark comedy You Kill Me scheduled for a June 22 release.) But would a fairly indie-minded filmmaker like John Dahl (who's had a pair of pretty painful studio experiences) actually be interested in helming a movie called The Punisher 2? Maybe not, but I'd be willing to bet if Dahl does climb on board, we're going to get a much better flick than the first Punisher, Thomas Jane or no Thomas Jane.

I'm guessing that it did not take long for the numbers to roll in on 300 before studios were looking for the next graphic novel to turn into a CGI blockbuster. IESB has reported that there is now talk of a bidding war for Jeff Krelitz's upcoming comic series War In Heaven. Trac2 Media will be developing the film adaptation and according to IESB, DC Comics along with several unnamed studios and comic book publishers are vying for the rights. The comic series is being produced by Krelitz, with co-writing duties going to Craig Hernandez and Keith Giffen (Legion of Superheroes). Giffen's name might ring a bell to fans of Justice League as the author of the international version of the series made in the 80's.

There aren't many details on the story yet, but what is known is that is the story will focus on Lucifer leading a rebellion at the pearly gates. The bad news is that the comic hasn't been written yet, so a film version is pretty far off. IESB is also hosting an sneak peek at some artwork, but they cannot promise that the will be up for long. So if you can't wait for the finished product, you might want to head over now.

The animated theatrical film of Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and was directed by Mamoru Oshii -- Oshii returned to direct the sequel; Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in 2004. Animated or otherwise, they are easily some of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Now, Empire Online has reported that Production I.G., producers all of the Ghost in the Shell movies and TV series, are shopping around the rights for a live action version. (The original manga has already been adapted for feature films, novels, video games and TV series) It's still early days for this project, but considering the size of GITS's fan base, finding a studio only seems to be a matter of time.

Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell follows a futuristic police force that specializes in technological crimes. The "hero" of the series is Motoko Kusanagi, a former Major in the armed forces, who is more machine than human and leads the elite team. As the series progressed, the focus was less on the action and more about the uneasy relationships between man and technology, which was great. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the recent onslaught of animated family films, but sometimes I like to watch something a little more grown-up.

At last count, there were roughly 20 billion names swirling around the blogosphere in connection with the role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel. Out of the muddle, the three that seem to emerge most often are Paul Bettany, Crispin Glover, and Lachy Hulme, whoever that is. While second-hand reports suggest that Hulme is unlikely to play the role and the Glover rumors have recently quieted, the Bettany talk is still going strong. And now a new name can be added to the mix: King Kong (and, lest we forget, Oscar winner) star Adrien Brody has decided that he should get to play the role, though no one from the movie has actually ever approached him about it. Said Brody, "I would love to play The Joker. I think he would be deformed and creepier." (Creepier than what was never made clear.)

I know we've asked about your Joker casting ideas a dozen times already, but does the Brody rumor do anything for you? Personally, I love Bettany and would be more than happy to see him in the role.