Tick-tocking like cogs in a gear, the Gears of War movie is moving along smoothly. The film hasn't been casted yet, much less the production started on, however, we do get some promising updates at the very least. Screenwriter Chris Morgan give us a status update on New Line Cinema and Epic Games' joint project. They're already talking about budget and how potentially epic this feature length movie can get. "All the stuff you want to see, we put that in there and then we blow it out a little more, even," says he.

It's been months since we last heard about the planned big screen trip of Epic Games' Xbox 360 hit, Gears of War (also for PC). Today's update has producer Wyck Godfrey talks about the progress of the film, plus an ETA: 2010. Hold on to your popcorn, fellow gamers-slash-moviegoers, and click the full article link for more info.

Pyro Studios is now all fired up, now that they're tasked to develop games based on Planet 51, a yet-to-be-released animated film about an astronaut who unwittingly lands on an alien planet. Aside from working on secret Wii title, it looks like the game studio of Commandos fame is going to be a bit busy for a while. Details in the full article!

Sega and New Line Cinema are pulling all the stops in promoting their upcoming cooperative effort The Golden Compass which debuts in cinemas and game systems this December. The Japanese game publisher says that they're hoping to succeed to the degree that The Lord of the Rings franchise did in both the movie and video game markets. Based on the book Northern Lights, this film tells the story of a girl named Lyra who sets out on a journey with her Daemon Pentalaimon.

 

Sega of America has announced that it will be bringing a new action-adventure video game for the platforms of PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PC, and PlayStation 2.

The Golden Compass is based on Philip Pullman's best-selling novel, and is, in fact, also a major motion picture from New Line Cinema. But here in the game, you expand the experience as Lyra Belacqua, who is on a mission to rescue her uncle that's in prison, as well as her kidnapped best friend. To aid her in her quest are her friends Pan the spirit daemon, Iorek the armored bear, and of course, the Golden Compass -  that one source of truth that will help Lyra find the correct path.

The Golden Compass game guarantees that it will remain true to the movie, bringing to video gaming life the characters, locations, and scenes, as well as creating the characters in the movie actors' likeness, like Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards.

The platforms PlayStation 3 and Wii will specifically utilize to the fullest their motion control capabilities, while the DS version will deliver unique and different gameplay mechanics, including a multiplayer mode.

For now, these are all the information we have on Sega's The Golden Compass, but not to worry. We do have some screenshots for you to view, and we do promise to keep you posted on more details as they come.

 

Now we know why EA is asking everybody about what they want from a video game console...

As you all know, The Lord of the Rings series of video games on consoles is being handled by Electronic Arts (EA). If you happen to like those games, you might be delighted to know that the publisher just signed a new license with the film company New Line Cinema, thereby assuring the extension of the partnership.

EA's Executive VP and general manager of North American publishing Frank Gibeau is quite excited as he quipped, "The Lord of the Rings is an incredible canvas to create epic games. We look forward to our next project with New Line Cinema and Tolkien Enterprises scheduled to ship in 2008."

Furthermore, EA slipped in an exciting development saying that an all new LOTR title is coming up. The publisher wouldn't divulge any information on what platform it will be released on (or platforms, for that matter), or when the new title will be released. "We have a long history of making great games with EA and are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship," remarked David Imhoff, New Line's Senior Exec. VP of Worldwide Licensing and Merchandising.

The list of current LOTR video games from EA includes:

• The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II (PC, 360)
• The Lord of the Rings: The White Council (360, PS3)
• The Lord of the Rings: Tactics (PSP)