Well, it looks like 2008 will end on a bit of a downer, with the most anticipated film of ‘09 (and possibly of the last few decades) up against the ropes and suffering one heck of a legal one-two punch. With the final moments of the year winding down, we have yet another short week to recap for you here on Splash Page.

Here are some of the highlights:

- As we already mentioned, it was a rough week for the “Watchmen” film, with the federal judge presiding over the lawsuit offering up a preliminary judgment against Warner Bros, and just a few days later, 20th Century Fox calling for a delayed “Watchmen” release.

- Screenwriter Justin Theroux chatted with us about the theme of “Iron Man 2″ and why the film will be different from the rest of the box-office superhero fare.

- On the video side, we gave you a cornucopia of new, behind-the-scenes “Coraline” videos, and even gave you a peek at Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn’s mutant-themed sketch, “Mystique and Me.”

- Finally, we offered up some analysis of what we know thus far involving “The First Avenger: Captain America.”

That’s all for now, Splash Page readers! See you in 2009!

If you’re just tuning in, the past week hasn’t been a good one for “Watchmen,” as the legal proceedings between Warner Bros. and Fox were cranked up to 11, and it looks as though the film’s scheduled release date of March 6, 2009 could now be in jeopardy if Fox has their way. However, we’re hours away from a new year, so let’s go into it with a positive outlook — and an all new “Watchmen” featurette that hit the wire today!

In the latest in the series of web featuettes (this one comes via MySpace), director Zack Snyder takes fans through the cast of heroes featured in “Watchmen” and the world they helped create (for better and for worse).

What do you think of Snyder’s takes on the characters? We wanna hear your thoughts in the comments.

As the live-action “Wonder Woman” feature film snoozes in development limbo, fans of DC’s resident Amazonian warrior princess at least have this March’s “Wonder Woman” animated feature film to look forward to. And in regards to that, Warner Bros. Animation have been more than willing to share info on the upcoming direct-to-DVD & Blu-ray addition to their already impressive line of animated features based on classic DC stories.

Today, we’re treated to a double-dip of “Wonder Woman” animated goodness, as Warner Bros. have released four new production stills from the feature (check out one of ‘em below), and IESB.com has an extensive interview with “Wonder Woman” screenwriter, Michael Jelenic.

After the jump, we’ve got the rest of the stills and some choice quotes from Jelenic on what fans can look forward to in Wonder Woman’s first full-length feature film. Read more…

Among us comic book fans, award-winning artist Tim Bradstreet is best known for supplying jaw-dropping covers to such monthly titles as Marvel’s “Punisher” as well as a historic run on Vertigo’s “Hellblazer” (not to mention, he’s a helluva nice guy). So for a fella as talented as ‘Street is, we here at Splash Page aren’t too surprised to hear that his creative skills don’t stop there.

According to a story posted on ShockTillYouDrop.com, Bradstreet will be teaming up with screenwriter Todd Farmer (”Jason X,” “My Bloody Valentine 3D”) to write and develop “Devil’s Commandos,” a Bradstreet-penned story which follows a WWII commando unit who finds themsevles facing off against the armies of Hell. Thomas Jane (”The Punisher”) will star in and direct the film, and Jane’s RAW Entertainment is set to produce. Read more…

With all the talk about the success of “The Dark Knight,” the bad-ass vibe of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the legal troubles of “Watchmen,” it’s easy to forget that there’s another, even bigger slate of comics-savvy films hitting theaters down the road — not the least of which is the culmination of Marvel Studios’ glorious four-year plan: “The Avengers.” And just a few weeks before “The Avengers” hits theaters, the world will be introduced to the superteam’s eventual leader in “The First Avenger: Captain America.”

However, with no shortage of news, speculation and detective-like investigation surrounding “Captain America,” it can be hard to distinguish where the rumors end and the facts begin. To that end, UGO has posted an exhausting roundup of just about everything there is to know about the film (and a few things we’re still guessing about) — but that doesn’t mean they didn’t miss an item or two.

After the jump, we’ve offered up some additional context on the “Captain America” news roundup, based on our coverage of the much-anticipated film. Read more…

For the legions of Neil Gaiman fans out there, February 6 can’t come soon enough. After all, as we’ve mentioned here numerous times on Splash Page, that’s when the 3-D, stop-motion animated adaptation of “Coraline” hits theaters. And even though that premiere date seems far away, the good people at Laika Entertainment, Focus Features and Coraline.com feel our pain, and have dropped a series of behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube — each one an entertaining and informative peek at the much-anticipated film.

After the jump, we’ve posted five (count ‘em, FIVE!) more videos which explain how tiny knitting tools, shoving armpit hair into a gelatinous substance, and a highly-articulate moustache all play pivotal roles in the creation of “The Biggest Smallest Movie Ever Made.” Read more…

It looks like Fox is sticking to their game plan of going all-out on comic properties in the coming year, as news is slowly making its way around the wire that the company’s TV arm has signed an agreement with Korean production company SSD to produce and distribute a live-action TV series based on Tsukasa Hojo’s “City Hunter” manga.

According to a report first posted on ICV2.com over the holiday break, Fox TV Studios and SSD will joint-produce 13 episodes to be distributed worldwide. Korean actor Chung Woo-sung will star in the series (marking the first Asian actor to headline a U.S. TV drama) and, according to the Korean KBS TV network, will also feature “many famous Hollywood stars.” Production of the series will start next year, with filming taking place in Tokyo and Seoul. Read more…

In the shadow of the great debate over whether or not “Watchmen” director Zack Snyder should or shouldn’t have changed the ending to what many consider the greatest graphic novel ever published, lies another issue that could possibly spark debate among fans: why Snyder chose not to update the film, given that the plot of “Watchmen” could easily relate to our modern world just as well as the late-1980s dystopia of the original story.

“I didn’t update it for a couple of reasons,” Snyder recently said in an interview with iFMagazine.com. “I thought Nixon was important to the movie. He’s not in the movie a lot, but [his presence] says a lot, [especially about] what a villain is. In the graphic novel, he’s written with a lot of ambiguity of whether he’s a bad guy or not. It’s really interesting.” Read more…

If last week’s preliminary judgment against Warner Bros in the “Watchmen” court battle wasn’t enough to send comic book fans into a panic, today’s news certainly might do the trick. According to The Associated Press, 20th Century Fox will seek a court order delaying the March 6 release of the much-anticipated adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ graphic novel.

The AP reports that in a response to today’s announcement, an attorney for Warner Bros said “he didn’t know if an appeal was coming, but thinks a trial is necessary and a settlement unlikely.”

As we reported last week, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess surprised much of the media world by offering up a preliminary judgment on the “Watchmen” lawsuit Wednesday evening, agreeing with Fox’s claim that they — not Warner Bros — held the rights to develop and distribute the adaptation. Read more…

Rebecca Romijn, who brought blue-skinned, shape-shifting mutant Mystique to life in the “X-Men” films, hasn’t forgotten the role that earned her a place in comics fans’ hearts — and now she’s apparently reprising that role in a very special video with real-life husband Jerry O’Connell.

Recently posted to FunnyOrDie, this short video titled “Mystique is Pregnant” claims to be a “classic clip from the sitcom ‘Mystique and Me’ where Jerry gets Mystique pregnant with a non-shape-shifting baby.” And while I’m pretty darn sure there was never a “Mystique and Me” sitcom, I’m absolutely certain that this clip is freakin’ hilarious.

What do you think of “Mystique is Pregnant,” folks? Glad to see O’Connell and Romijn having some fun with their real-life and comics-world roles? Let us know in the comment section!