The next Disney-Pixar film in the works is the long-awaited sequel to 2003′s award-winning Finding Nemo. This time, moviegoers are Finding Dory, the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. Nemo director Andrew Stanton returns with DeGeneres for the sequel. “There is no Dory without Ellen,” said Stanton in a press release. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In Finding Dory, she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.”

Finding Dory takes place about a year after the first film, and features returning favorites Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, among others. Set in part along the California coastline, the story also welcomes a host of new characters, including a few who will prove to be a very important part of Dory’s life. The remainder of the voice cast has not been confirmed, but who else except Albert Brooks could bring Marlin back to life?

DeGeneres also commented on the exciting news. “I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” the comic and talk show host said. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating Toy Story 16. But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is—it’s got a lot more Dory.”

And get this: they’ve even set a date so mark your calendars accordingly. Finding Dory swims into theatres November 25, 2015.

[Via Disney]

Hot off the heels of Will Ferrell announcing an Anchorman sequel, another long-awaited followup to a classic comedy is in the works. The Farrelly brothers are making Dumb and Dumber 2 and stars of the original 1994 laugh riot Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are on board. The elder Peter Farrelly revealed the big news to ComingSoon: ”We’re getting set to shoot ‘Dumb and Dumber 2′ in September. It’s the first sequel we’ve ever done and we’ve got Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels back.” Peter went on to share that a true sequel to Dumb and Dumber has been brewing in his mind for some time and confirmed that he had no involvement in the “prequel” trainwreck that was Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003). ”We did not do Dumb and Dumberer,” he said. “That was a studio thing. So we’ve always wanted to do a sequel and finally Jim called up. Jeff always wanted to do it. We always wanted to do it. Jim was busy, but he called and said, ‘We’ve got to do this thing again.’ He had just watched Dumb and Dumber and he said, ‘This is the perfect sequel. Let’s do it.’”

Once the dust settles from the Farrelly’s current project The Three Stooges, Dumb and Dumber 2 will get rolling and at long last we will all be reacquainted with the real and iconic Harry and Lloyd.

[Via ComingSoon]

Great Odin’s raven! Anchorman 2 is officially underway at Paramount with star Will Ferrell aboard, along with original cast members including Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Today Ferrell crashed the set of Conan O’Brien’s TBS late night talk show in full Ron Burgundy garb, flute in hand. He came prepared to play, make fun of the red-haired comic, and most importantly to announce that Paramount is going to back a sequel to the outrageous, cult 2004 comedy. Ferrell as Burgundy proclaimed, “As of 0900 Mountain time, Paramount Pictures and myself–Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy–have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman.” And the crowd went wild.

Rumors of an Anchorman sequel have been rumbling since July of 2009 when Ferrell said that he was excited to talk about what a potential sequel would be about with castmates Carell and Rudd. Unfortunately due to salary concerns and scheduling conflicts, the movie failed to get off the ground. Since then, however, Ferrell must have pushed hard to make this happen and now Anchorman 2 is most definitely in the works! Adam McKay is back to direct and he will pen the script with Ferrell. Judd Apatow is producing under his production banner. Though the plot still remains under wraps, Ferrell teased in ’09 that a followup “would bring classy 1970s newsman Ron Burgandy into the 1980s.”

Grab a scotchy scotch scotch and click after the break to watch Burgundy flaunt his jazz flute and announce the highly anticipated sequel. (Click here for more…)

It’s official: a sequel to this summer’s blockbuster Thor is in the works. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise: the Marvel superhero flick has grossed $437.5 million thus far. Chris Hemsworth will reprise as the God of Thunder, but Kenneth Branagh will not return to helm. He is expected to remain on the team as a producer, though. The search for a new director is currently underway. Obviously a plot has yet to be fully mapped out, but if you waited until after the credits rolled at Thor (spoiler alert) then you’ll know that Loki is still around and I’m sure his existence will factor into the new story. In that same scene, Dr. Selvig is introduced to Samuel L. Jackson’s omnipresent Nick Fury so there’s plenty of material to expand upon in the future. Here’s some solid news: Disney confirms a July 26, 2013 release. The summer of ’13 is certainly one to anticipate; Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big screen in Iron Man 3 on May 3.

[Via Deadline; The-Numbers]

Hot off the heels of a stellar sequel, Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli spilled the release date of the next movie in the series.  Paramount confirms October 21, 2011 is the day.  The original had a production budget set at $15,000 and generated nearly $197 million.  The sequel’s budget was upped to $3 million following the original’s success, and so far it has generated a worldwide gross of around $157 million–and it’s still in theatres. Greenlighting a three-quel is a no-brainer.  And with the Saw franchise (supposedly) out of the way, nothing’s stopping PA from raking in the cash next Halloween.  That is, of course, if Hollywood doesn’t find a worthy horror flick to pit against it.

[Via ComingSoon; TheNumbers, here & here]

The highest grossing film of all time is getting the sequel and three-quel treatment within the next five years.  Today Twentieth Century Fox announced that visionary director James Cameron will take on Avatar 2 & 3 as his next two films.  Cameron will begin writing the script for the sequel “early next year” and production will begin “later in 2011.”  He may shoot the films back-to-back, but he will not make this decision until both scripts are finalized.  The sequel is targeted for a December 2014 release, and the third film will follow one year later in 2015.

Though Cameron was looking forward to shooting Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie in 2012, he is very excited to get the opportunity to plunge back into Pandora and consume himself with its inhabitants over the next five years.  “It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company. AVATAR was conceived as an epic work of fantasy – a world that audiences could visit, across all media platforms, and this moment marks the launch of the next phase of that world. With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at Twentieth Century Fox. Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience’s expectations for the richness of AVATAR’s visual world and the power of the storytelling. In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of AVATAR’s visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world. I’m looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild.”

[Via Deadline]

Piranha 3D splashed into theatres last summer, surprisingly cashing in a worldwide gross of $71 million (it cost about $40 million to produce and market).  After a strong opening weekend performance at the box office, Dimension Films announced a sequel would be on its way.  Today Dimension announced the creative team behind the sequel now officially titled Piranha 3DD (get it? boobies!).  John Gulager will direct and Saw 3D scribes Melton and Marcus Dunstan will pen the script.  Gulager, Melton, and Dunstan worked together in the past on Dimension horror flick Feast, a film that was featured in the show Project Greenlight.  No word on why Piranha 3D director Alexandre Aja dropped out of the project.  I hope the new team has the creative umph to bring back the perfect summer movie tongue-in-cheek bloody fun the original so successfully made famous and enjoyable.  Dimension does not want to miss a summer release; as long as the writers can pump out a timely script, you can expect 3DD to hit theatres this August.

[Via Deadline]

After a strong $10 million performance during its opening weekend at the box office and receiving rave reviews, Dimension Films announced today that a Piranha 3D sequel is in the works.  Director Alexandre Aja and producer Mark Canton will team up to create another fun gorefest featuring lots of 3D boobies and oh-so-much blood.  “We are thrilled that audiences are not just loving Piranha 3D, but cheering for it,” said Canton.  “And it’s fantastic that so many critics are really getting the movie and recommending it. We can’t wait to get to work on the sequel.”

It’s true; the campy bloodbath starring killer piranha strong a chord with audiences and critics.  The film currently sits at a respectable 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  And read these words from the AP’s Christy Lemire: “Run, don’t walk: Piranha 3D is hilariously, cleverly gory. Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly Piranha 3D is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theatre to see it. Like, now.”  Like, yeah–I saw this movie the other day and I whole heartedly agree with Lemire.  Piranha 3D is campy, bloody, sexy, fun.  Just the right ingredients for the perfect summer flick.

Though there has been no official word concerning the plot of the sequel, one can deduce it will likely involve the BLANK piranha introduced at the end of the Piranha 3D.  (Don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who have not seen it yet.)  A few weeks ago Aja mentioned in an interview that the production team was throwing some ideas around for a potential sequel.  “We had many ideas, like the full moon party in Thailand — a huge event with like 200,000 young people from all around the world taking mushrooms and partying on the beach.”  Can I preorder a ticket yet?  And where does the line start?

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider; MTV]

Although there is still eight grueling months left until Tron: Legacy hit theatres, Disney is already looking way into the future.  Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Lost writers and the duo who penned the script for Legacy) have been hired to write a new script for a sequel to the sequel.  There is no word if Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and cast members (Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde) will return, though their contracts stipulate sequel options, so we should find out soon enough.  Tron: Legacy opens December 17.  Watch the trailer again.  Just do it.

[Via DigitalSpy]

The Hangover 2 is a done deal.  The script is underway and the film will be directed and produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips.  Warner Bros. recently signed a deal to bring back the three stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zack Galifianakis.  The actors will be getting $5 million each for their roles in the sequel (they received $1 million combined in the first film).  But then again, The Hangover made $467 million dollars worldwide, and became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.  All we know what the plot is this: it will not take place in Las Vegas again.  Rumors swirled that it would be set in Thailand, but Phillips shot that down.  Shooting begins November 1 with an expected release during Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

So where have Harold & Kumar been lately?  John Cho (Harold) has been working hard at Agent Demetri Noh on ABC’s FlashForward and Kal Penn went from playing doctor on FOX’s House to working along President Obama as associate director of the White House Office Of Public Engagement.  Cho and Penn have decided to team up for a third time to make A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.  It will be a Christmas-themed adventure, with pot of course.  Neil Patrick Harris is expected to reprise his role (didn’t he die in the last one?).  New Line Studios confirmed that Todd Strauss Schulson will direct (creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg penned the script but are moving on to direct American Pie 4, see below) and it’s being contemplated whether or not the film will be shot in 3D.  Shooting starts this summer and it’s slated to hit theatres Christmas 2011.

As noted above, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have signed on to write and direct American Pie 4, the first Pie movie to hit theatres since American Wedding in 2003.  Though no deals have been made yet, the entire cast from the original trilogy is expected to come aboard for the “reboot.”  They include: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge, Thomas Ian Nichols, and Chris Owen.  Pie proved to be a lucrative franchise with its original movies and the four direct-to-DVD films.  The plot is being kept under wraps for now and  release info has not been disclosed.

You know the drill: another Halloween, another Saw movie.  Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures confirm Saw VI director Kevin Greutert will reprise his directorial role.  Also, the move will be shot in 3D, hence the title, Saw VII 3D.  No plot details, but come on now, you know what to expect: blood, guts, and more blood–now in mind-boggling 3D!  Saw is being pitted directly against Paranormal Activity 2; they both release on October 22 later this year.

[Via ReelzChannel; EW, here & here; Newsinfilm; THR; IGN]

Paranormal Activity 2 is starting to come together.  Writer and director of the original film Oren Peli posted a note to the film’s website sharing news that a new director has been chosen for the sequel.  Kip Williams (The Door in the Floor) got the job.  Peli says: “Kip is the guy we want at the helm, because he knows exactly what we want to deliver to the fans.”  Peli will remain on the team as a writer and producer, and Michael Perry is set to pen the screenplay.  Production starts in May and if all goes as planned, Paranormal Activity 2 should hit theatres right before Halloween on October 22.  Any plot details, you ask?  Tight-lipped Peli has this to say: “I don’t want to spoil the story but I promise it will surprise you.  Stay tuned.”

[Via EW-PopWatch; ParanormalMovie]

Just as we were all getting excited to see the return of Gordon Gekko and the introduction to his new friend Shia LaBeouf, distributer FOX has decided to delay the release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.  Instead of hitting theatres April 23, WS2 will wait until September 24.  Why, you ask?  According to the original Variety report, the date was changed so that the film could enter the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 12-23.  Being selected for viewing at Cannes helps promote a film before its worldwide release, helps create more buzz.  Oh well.

[Via LATimesBlog]

GORDON GEKKO IS BACK.

Wall Street 2 takes place 26 years after the conclusion of the 1987 Academy Award-winning Wall Street; both are directed by Oliver Stone.  It stars Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, and Carey Mulligan.  SPOILER: Charlie Sheen is rumored to make a cameo.  The sequel hits theatres April 21.  Watch the trailer below.  Do it.

[Via TrailerAddict]

This Tuesday Paramount Pictures announced that actor Tom Cruise will star in the next installment of the Mission: Impossible series.  J.J. Abrams returns as well, this time as producer not director.  Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are penning the script that’s based on a story arc formulated by Cruise and Abrams.  Mission: Impossible IV is due out in theatres Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

[Via The Canadian Press]

Paranormal Activity: The Search For Katie, A Case Study by Dr. Johann Averys DMN is the title of the comic that picks off right where the movie leaves us all hanging.  Where is Micah?  What happened to demon-captured Katie?  It tells the story of Dr. Averys, the demon expert who we were not acquainted with in the film, and his search for Katie and some concrete answers.  It’s written by Scott Lobdell and drawn by Mark Badger.  When Gizmodo questioned Lobdell about the need for a comic book sequel he responded:

Even before I left the movie theater my mind was racing though a hundred different questions! Where did Katie go? How long had she been in thrall to the demon? Why did he do what he did to Micah… or have Katie do it? What about the mysterious Dr. Johann Averys — often mentioned but never seen? Could the case he was working on in Europe have anything to do with the case in San Diego? What would the investigation into the murder be like? One part cop forensics, one part study in demonology? The demon seemed like it had much larger fish to fry to scaring young women… could it have followers? A lot of this is set up in the first installment of the online comic book, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to further explore the world of Paranormal Activity.

Catch the “first installment” of Paranormal Activity investigation, comic-style in digital form at the Apple App Store (it’s 99 cents).

[Via Gizmodo]

Now that Dollhouse has been (sadly) cancelled, Joss Whedon now undoubedly has time to focus on his highly successful Internet-series project, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.  New comments have surfaced concerning the anticipated sequel.  MTV News has the scoop…

Joss’ brother Zack Whedon: “We’ve been planning it pretty much from the minute we finished the first one.”  “They finish up ‘Dollhouse’ in the winter—at least what they’ve scheduled to shoot thus far—so hopefully when that’s done, we’ll all be able to get together more frequently and grind it out,” he explained. “There are a couple of songs written. It’s very promising. We’re all very excited about where it goes.”  “Yeah, you have to see them [Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer] in the sequel.  We will expand the world a little bit into other areas you have not seen… and it will be hilarious.”  He concludes, “We’re doing it for fun and for ourselves and for the fans.  So doing a sequel is really a no-brainer.”

Star Nathan Fillion (Captain Hammer): “There are plans.”  “The media for the sequel has not yet been decided, but there is a title.”  “Joss, I was talking to him right before we won the Emmy.  He said that he’s finished writing a song or two.  He told me a couple of verses to the song.”  “It’s going to be great.  I know a bunch of cast members of Dr. Horrible who would love to get back into it.”

So, a SEQUEL is coming…a TITLE has been selected…and some SONGS have been written.  Still no word on “dead” Penny (Felicia Day).  I’m sure some way or another the Brothers Whedon will figure a way to get her back.  Can’t wait.

[Via MTV, here & here]

Dhani Harrison (son of The Beatles’ George Harrison and developer on The Beatles: Rock Band) sat down with The Chicago Tribune and spilled some new information of what’s to come with the next installment of Harmonix’s Rock Band.

“I’m working on ‘Rock Band 3′ and making the controllers more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game.  Give me a couple years, it’s going to happen.”

When asked about potential integration with Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal interface, MTV Games general manager Scott Guthrie: “We aren’t standing still – we will keep moving into new areas and look at new technologies that our platform holder partners are also developing, such as Project Natal from Microsoft.”

It’s starting to look like Rock Band 3 will not just be another rhythm game in the serieswith a new tracklist and an updated online catalogue.  With more realistic instruments and potential Project Natal integration Rock Band 3 will surely make gamers and newcomers alike ready to rock out all over again.

[Via IGN]

And it’s been a long time coming!  The highly anticiapted sequel to the 1996 summer smash hit Independence Day, starring Will Smith, is currently being figured out.

Director Roland Emmerich: “Dean Devlin [writer] and I are still set to make a sequel because we’ve found some sort of idea and we approached [studio 20th Century] Fox and Fox has not quite figured out how to incorporate Dean’s and my deal, and Will’s [Smith] deal. Will wants to do it in some sort of a package they can live with.  So it’s just been in negotiations now since forever, and naturally Fox says “Why don’t you do it without Will Smith?” I said Will is essential for us, for this movie and actually for the audience too. And, so, it’s in limbo and lately the studios are fighting. Like gross players, and Will is a gross player and is probably the only gross player right now who’s worth his gross. So we’ll see what happens. I would love to do it.”

Though Emmerich could not speak about the plot he did say that “There’s a very really great story, a very cool one.”  Can’t wait.

[Via IGN]

Last Thursday director Michael Bay made it official that he would helm the next Transformers flick.  In a short blurb he posted on his website, Bay confirms a July 1, 2011 release date, that a “great Transformers story” is in the works, and he pokes fun at Megan Fox’s remarks she made in an interview with UK’s Wonder Magazine.

When asked about working with Bay on Transformers Fox said: “He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him. He’s vulnerable and fragile in real life and then on set he’s a tyrant. Shia [Labeouf] and I almost die when we make a Transformers movie. He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do.”

And here is Michael Bay’s official statement:

Transformers 3: July 1st, 2011
10/01/2009 09:41 AM
Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.

Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I’m flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Pain and Gain is right after shooting of Trans 3.

[Via Deadline; Justjared]

EW reports that writer/director Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) is looking forward to making Kill Bill: Volume 3.  On an Italian talk show Tarantino said “he will make another installment of his successful Kill Bill series, but that he wants there to be a 10-year break between the second and third film.”  This pegs the third installment for a 2014 release and, as EW notes, “star Uma Thurman at 44, just the right age to kick more ass.”

[Via IGN; via EW]