Movie Minesweeper - The Satsuma Skin Edition

- Blockbuster have opted for Blu-Ray exclusivity. Once upon a time this would have been the deciding blow in a format war, but these days, Blockbuster's punch is a little less solid. All the same, I'm sticking with my earlier comments. Blu-Ray is going to win, for what it ends up being worth.

- Some pictures of Christian Bale in his new Batsuit are doing the rounds. Apparently.

- There's suddenly lots of buzz about Fox backing a Halo film, but that's not the story I read. Nope. Fox have simply signed a deal to sell Halo merchandise. I suppose this might prove to be such a money spinner the film deal is back on again (at some point) but I wouldn't expect it anytime soon.

- Ann Peacock is scripting The White Giraffe for Gabor Csupo to direct. The source is a kid's book by Lauren St. John that, honestly, I know next to nothing about. Also attached is AnnaSophia Robb, which possibly takes her out of the running for a Lovely Bones role...?

- Owen Wilson and Nick Nolte have taken roles in Tropic Thunder.

- Once again, Harry Potter has been given the M certificate in Australia. This will keep a lot of littler ones out of the screenings. The last film was branded this way also, and part 3 was too - but that decision was overturned by appeal.

- Pierce Gardener (author of Dan in Real Life which is, reputedly, very good) has sold an untitled pitch to Columbia. The premise is recounted in The Hollywood Reporter: the comedy centers on a divorced mother who is lost at her new job until she realizes that her experience dealing with spoiled toddlers gives her exactly the tools she needs to deal with spoiled executives.

- The inclusion of Diablo on the In-Development list at the Legendary Pictures website has the internet lit up this morning - but how about their other projects in that list? The Spook's Apprentice, Waterproof and the Jimi Hendrix Project were all news to me.

- The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and Jackie Chan is being scheduled for release during the Beijing Olympics.

- The Legend of Secret Pass is an upcoming cartoon with Michael Chiklis, Frankie Muniz, David Cross, Ron Perlman, Christy Carlson Romano, Graham Greene and Cheryl Hines amongst the cast.

- Brightcove have signed to be the web-video tech supplier for Fox. Which I like because their videos are generally direct-linkable and therefore downloadable.

- Meanwhile, France Televisions have inked a pact with Google's YouTubeEurope.

- Matt and Mike Chapman have turned down TV deals to keep Homestar Runner a web (and DVD) exclusive.

Laszlo & Vilmos: The Story of Two Refugees Who Changed the Look of American Cinema is an upcoming documentary about... well, guess who. Haskell Wexler, Owen Roizman, Dennis Hopper and Martin Scorsese are the more predictable interview subjects.