The LEGO franchise has transitioned beautifully into the video game format, delivering winning installments of Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and Batman over the years. Now MTV reports that “LEGO Batman 2” is on its way, and it will expand the universe to include other DC Comics heroes.

“While the original game allowed you to play as either Batman or Robin, ‘Lego Batman 2’ will also feature Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. It’s like a mini Justice League – except for some reason this Justice League is eerily mute and made of plastic,” the site reports.

What does this mean for movies? Well, we believe that a “Justice League” feature is possible at some point down the road … particularly if Joss Whedon’s “Avengers” experiment works this summer. You know DC is looking at Marvel’s summer tentpole to see if the multi-hero template works. And introducing a blend of that group – even in a video game – only helps make them a household name that could become a profitable movie some day soon.

“Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes” has a planned launch window of Summer 2012, releasing across every major platform including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo DS, and PC.

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Photo courtesy of LEGO.

Anyway, this morning, we’re getting an early peek at the Pixar short, titled “Small Fry,” via USA Today. Here’s the scoop.

This one see Buzz Lightyear left behind at a fast food joint after a Happy Meal version of the space ranger decides he’d like to go home with Bonnie instead. Of course, Woody and the rest of the “Toy Story” toys aren’t fooled. Meanwhile, back at the eatery, Buzz interacts with a therapy group of discarded fast-food toys (the most inventive part of the new short) as he tries to figure out how to get back to Bonnie’s house.

It’s sweet. It has the emotional threads of a “Toy Story” film, and goes in a totally different direction from “Hawaiian Vacation” (which preceded “Cars 2”).

You’ll be able to see “Small Fry” ahead of “The Muppets” when it opens in theaters on Nov. 23.

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Can Hollywood replicate this immense world on screen?

Variety reveals that Sony Pictures will adapt and distribute an “Assassin’s Creed” film, which likely will be filmed in 3D. It’s part of an elaborate plan by Ubisoft to produce movie versions of their popular games, from “Splinter Cell” to “Ghost Recon.”

“We want to keep ownership, retain control over the film content, and we’re open to work with studios on the development of our projects, and eventually collaborate on the pre-casting, pre-budget and script,” said Jean de Rivieres, Ubisoft’s senior VP of international marketing and distribution.

Now, we’ve seen Hollywood studios try and adapt elaborate video games into major motion picture franchises, and few have hit the mark (see “Prince of Persia” or “Silent Hill,” for recent examples). But maybe with Ubisoft involved in the process, “Creed” can succeed.

Meanwhile, the fourth installment of the ongoing series, “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations,” is set to hit the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on Nov. 15.

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HollywoodNews.com: I get the joke. Really, I do. I get that Tom Six has made an ‘up yours’ movie that is basically an attack against everyone who had anything to say about the first Human Centipede (review). It sticks its tongue out at those who thought the film was grotesque and morally offensive. It reams those who were upset at how much of the violence was suggested or off screen. It mocks those who called it a grand piece of art, finding hidden meanings and symbolic complexities that arguably were never there in the first place. It is a meta-film, an overt post-modernist commentary on the series, the nature of sequels, and the horror genre itself, as well as those who make and watch them. That’s nice, but The Human Centipede II is a genuinely boring and ultimately obnoxious motion picture. Despite some genuine attempts of some kind of social commentary unto itself, the film remains only worth seeing purely for the sake of saying that you’ve seen it.

A token amount of plot: In our world, where The Human Centipede was indeed a fictional film, one obsessed fan of the first picture (Laurence R. Harvey) decides to recreate the original experiment. One-by-one, he kidnaps his victims and eventually does his dirty work to create a twelve-person centipede. And that’s about it, folks. The Human Centipede II is barely a film. It is technically a 85-minute motion picture that promises to offend and shock on an here-fore-unheard of level, a promise that guarantees disappointment by virtue of its very offering.

Yes, there are several moments of grizzly onscreen violence, and since they represent arguably the film’s lone ‘entertainment value’ I won’t spoil them here. But the movie itself is a overly presumptuous bore, working in ironically an opposite fashion from the first film. The first picture had an unnerving and tension-filled initial half which led up to the primary ‘operation’. But after the deed had been done, the remaining forty-five minutes was merely endless nearly-silent scenes of the main victims existing in unbearable agony. To the extent that it worked at all, it was chiefly effective for its mere suggestion of horrifying cruelty and Dieter Laser’s classically villainous lead performance. The sequel works in reverse, with a boring first half followed by a grotesque second half.

To read more go to MENDELSON’S MEMOS

Photo by Six Entertainment

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Kabam, a San Francisco-based game design firm, is launching “The Godfather: Five Families” as a direct competitor to Zynga’s “Mafia Wars,” THR reports. Based on a license from Viacom’s Paramount Pictures, the game “takes place in New York City in the 1930s, a decade before where the first movie in the film trilogy starts,” with players occupying characters who are “born into one of the five mafia families featured in the franchise and must fight or scheme their way to the top to become don.”

The game will be free, though players may have to spend money to upgrade weapons or unlike special abilities.

“We’re bringing a hard-core mafia experience to social games,” said Kabam COO Chris Carvalho. “We think there’s a completely untapped audience for that.”

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But a longstanding video game developer is about to toss its hat into the ring, and it’s bringing a few anticipated projects along for the ride.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures, part of the Ubisoft video game publishing division, revealed plans to produce 3D films of their popular games “Assassin’s Creed,” “Splinter Cell” and “Ghost Recon” to Variety.

“Our strategy is not to diversify but to bolster the appeal of our franchises — that’s why we want to make sure our films will reflect the brands accurately and consolidate our fan base while expanding beyond the games’ primary target audience,” said Jean de Rivieres, senior VP of international marketing and distribution.

“Splinter” and “Ghost” seem easier to replicate, given the fact that they are “Bourne”-inspired shooter games set around military conflict. Recreating the world of “Assassin’s Creed,” which takes place in Renaissance-era Italy, would appear much more difficult. Yet the execs at Ubisoft say they will have a script ready “by the end of the year,” and they plan to travel to Hollywood in June to begin meeting with interested studios.

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The second and third parts of an “Avatar” trilogy were previously announced. But in speaking with EW.com, the self-proclaimed “King of the World” (kidding, of course) revealed plans to release “Avatar 2” and “3” during the Christmas holidays in 2014 and 2015.

“I am in the process of writing the next two ‘Avatar’ films now,” Cameron tells the site. “We are planning to shoot them together and post them together, and we will probably release them not quite back to back, but about a year apart.”

As for plot details, Cameron kept mum, though he did suggest that “if you survived the first film, you get to be in the second film, at least in some form.”

So a return trip to Pandora is a few years off, but if any filmmaker can make it worth your wait, it’s Cameron.

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hollywoodnews.com: Meet the Lightning McQueen and his trusted pit crew [Fillmore, Guido, Luigi, Mack and Sarge]!

Newly released character posters and character bios from CARS 2 are now available for download at the following link.

Below photo gallery of CARS 2

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hollywoodnews.com: Spike TV’s eighth annual “Video Game Awards” was a night to remember, as industry giants gathered to celebrate the outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the world of gaming over the past year. Hosted by acclaimed television, film, stage and video game star Neil Patrick Harris and featuring world premiere footage from thirteen highly anticipated releases, the two-hour event premiered LIVE, BOTH COASTS, on Spike TV Saturday, December 11 at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT from The LA Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

“This was a huge night for the gaming universe,” said Casey Patterson, executive producer Spike TV’s “Video Game Awards.” “We honored the best and previewed the future of games next year with incredible world premieres.”

A host of gaming industry developers and other luminaries from all over the entertainment world witnessed Rockstar Games’ “Red Dead Redemption” net four awards including “Game of the Year,” “Best Song,” “Best Original Score,” and “Best DLC.”

Other multiple winners included “Mass Effect 2″ which took home three prominent awards, including “Studio of the Year” for the game’s developer BioWare, “Best Xbox 360 Game” and “Best RPG,” and “God of War III” which won “Best PS3 Game” and “Best Graphics.”

The show featured use of ground breaking augmented reality technology, conceived by Done and Dusted; with Lee Lodge, in partnership with Weider Design, Full Mental Jacket, and Orad.

Among the star-studded list of presenters, attendees and nominees at Spike TV’s “VGAs 2010″ were AnnaLynne McCord, “Thor: God of Thunder” video game star Chris Hemsworth, Dane Cook, Olivia Munn, Dominic Monaghan, Michael Chiklis, Academy Award nominated film director Guillermo Del Toro, “Halo: Reach” star and VGA 2010 nominee Nathan Fillion, Nick Swardson, Tony Hawk and the cast from the hit series “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney. The night also featured a performance by Grammy Award-winning rock band and “Gran Turismo 5″ soundtrack contributors My Chemical Romance, who performed “Planetary (GO!)” from their new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

The 2010 “VGAs” featured thirteen exclusive world premieres, including “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception,” “Batman: Arkham City,” “Resistance 3,” “Thor: God of Thunder,” and “Most Anticipated Game” award winner “Portal 2.”

The “VGAs” pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of games, designers, animation, breakthrough technology, music and performances of the past year in the world of video games. The awards also provide a glimpse of the future of gaming – including exclusive sneak peeks and world premiere footage of some of the hottest and most anticipated games of 2011 and beyond.

A full list of winners is included below:

GAME OF THE YEAR

Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

BioWare

BEST XBOX 360 GAME

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST PS3 GAME

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

BEST Wii GAME

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo / Nintendo)

BEST PC GAME

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment / Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST HANDHELD GAME

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sony Computer Entertainment / Ready At Dawn Studios)

BEST SHOOTER

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision / Treyarch)

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)

BEST RPG

Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts / BioWare)

BEST MULTI-PLAYER

Halo: Reach (Microsoft / Bungie Studios)

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (Electronic Arts / EA Tiburon)

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME

NBA 2K11 (2K Sports / Visual Concepts)

BEST DRIVING GAME

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts / Criterion Games)

BEST MUSIC GAME

Rock Band 3 (MTV Games / Harmonix)

BEST SOUNDTRACK

DJ Hero 2 (Activision / FreeStyleGames)

BEST SONG IN A GAME

Far Away by Jose Gonzalez (Red Dead Redemption)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

BEST GRAPHICS

God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios Santa Monica)

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Chengdu)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE

Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker / Amazing Spider-Man (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions / Activision)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE

Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty / Blizzard Entertainment)

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

Costume Quest (THQ / Double Fine Productions)

BEST DLC

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare (Rockstar Games / Rockstar San Diego)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

Limbo (PlayDead)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

Portal 2 (Valve / Valve)

Director Hamish Hamilton (“The 82nd Annual Academy Awards,” “Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show,” “2010 MTV Video Music Awards”), Ian Stewart (“The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” “Laureus World Sports Awards”) and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production, talent development and studio relations for Spike TV, served as executive producers of Spike TV’s 2010 “Video Game Awards.” The 2010 “Video Game Awards” was produced by Done and Dusted Inc.

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I

By Scott Mendelson

HollywoodNews.com: I was not a fan of the first “Cars” (it was a remake of “Doc Hollywood” with the sensibility of something like “A Shark Tale”), but the merchandise still sells like gangbusters and a sequel was inevitable. I’m attending the birthday party of a cousin down in Yucca Valley and I assure you that “Cars 2″ is the most heavily anticipated film in their household. Anyway, in case the Kirshmans are reading this, here’s the first official still and an official synopsis. Sounds like one long car chase, but I’m sure it will look nice. And, frankly, I’m sure my wife will be relieved at being able to watch a Pixar film without getting depressed and/or becoming a teary mess. Thanks to heyyouguys.co.uk.

“Synopsis: Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.”

To read more from this article go to Mendelson’s Memos.

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