According to AWN, MGM Television has optioned The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore, a digital graphic novel, with a possibility of turning it into a TV Series.  Set in the cyber-gaming world of the English Empire, Jonas Moore, a self-aware game character, tries to escape the network’s security programs by jumping from one game to another.

“MGM is a great place for THE MANY WORLDS OF JONAS MOORE,” said Howard Webster, creator, producer and director of the project for Factory Publishing in association with Triumph Motorcycles. “There has never been a black British action hero before and what appealed to me was that MGM understood this from the outset. JONAS MOORE is sophisticated, educated, tough and uber-cool. He represents the next generation of intelligent action heroes of international sci-fi drama.”

The digital graphic comic has been applauded as one of the most ground-breaking novels of the genre.  The art design uses different, almost juxtaposing elements such as photography, archival footage, comic illustration, and 3d animation.  The story itself invites the fans to jump in by downloading elements and creating their won Jonas Moore stories.  With the digital comic’s open structure, it will interesting how MGM handles Moore on the screen. 

According to the Hollywood Reporter, it looks like the Miramax and Rocket Pictures’ film “Gnomeo and Juliet” is on its way to settling on a voice cast. The CG animated film is still in the development phase, but negotiations have begun with agents repping James McAvoy and Emily Blunt to play the leads. The producers of “Gnomeo” say they are actively searching for other big-name talent to join the film in supporting roles.

Rocket initially brought “Gnomeo” to Walt Disney Feature Animation, but several years later the project was dropped by incoming Pixar executives John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. Miramax president Daniel Battsek, who followed the project while at Buena Vista International, persuaded Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook to revive it at his specialty division in April 2006.

Kelly Asbury will direct from an original script by Rob Sprackling and John R. Smith. Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley and Mark Burton have worked on later versions of the screenplay. Now in the storyboard stage, production is expected to be completed by 2010.

The music for this loose Shakespearean adaptation will be furnished by Rocket Pictures’ own Elton John, showcasing his many classic songs.

The Academy of the Arts & Sciences have announced the winners of categories of Individual Achievement in Animation and Outstanding Voiceover Performance.

Ben Balistreri took home the Emmy for his character design work on the “Mondo Coco” episode of Cartoon Network’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.   Teresa Drilling was awarded for her work as an animator on CBS’ Creature Comforts “Self Image” and “Winging it, Art” episodes. 

For Outstanding Voiceover, Keith David’s work on “A Necessary War” part of PBS’ miniseries The War was also awarded the Emmy.

IGN has written a little article up about some comments Guillermo del Toro made about his upcoming project “The Hobbit”. In true director fashion, he’s already planning certain aspects of how he will approach the filmmaking. Much like Peter Jackson, del Toro loves miniatures and model-making wth real effects.

He explained, “You have to be very careful not to rely on a single tool – and this is another thing that I share a passion for with Peter Jackson. We both are huge fans of ‘old-world’ techniques like maquettes, models, miniatures, paintings – and in the case of The Hobbit, I do intend to continue this trend and bring much more animatronics into the mix.

“We need to keep that art form alive, because it brings a textural power to the movie that ultimately affects the content. The creatures somehow seem more tactile and more tangible than CG.”

Guillermo also confirmed that the CG Gollum as seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy will be back.

This weekend Lucas’ Star Wars: The Clone Wars squared off against Ben Stassen’s stereoscopic Fly Me to the Moon. Animation Magazine reports:

Since Fly Me is a 3-D only release, it’s bowing in just 452 theaters through Summit Ent., while Clone hits screens in 3,452 venues. George Lucas’ first theatrical toon boasts one of the highest theater counts of the week, second only to Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars follows the continuing trials of Anakin Skywalker during the galaxy’s civil war.  While Ben Stassen’s Fly Me to the Moon has a more light-hearted feel.  The film follows three young flies who dream and scheme about being part of the space program.  

Stassen also has in the works Around the World in 50 Years, another animated stereoscopic film stars a sea turtle forced to globetrotting due to global warming.

Variety reports that Fox-based New Regency has dusted off the Voltron franchise and is putting it into turnaround. With Transformers becoming such a hit at the B.O., studios are now looking to unearth other robot projects. Until now, New Regency

couldn’t wrap up a deal with “Voltron’s” Japanese rights holders, delaying any further development of the pic.

Talks for “Voltron” were under way before DreamWorks and Paramount successfully launched “Transformers,” but Hollywood’s interest in robot pics based on popular toys or toons grew after “Transformers” hit it big at the B.O., with Warner Bros. snatching up the rights to “Robotech.”

Relativity Media is negotiating to back the property. The Mark Gordon Co. is attached to produce, and the screenplay was adapted by Justin Marks, who wrote Warner Bros. feature film adaptations of “He-Man” and the “Green Arrow”.

Today is the offical opening day of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and already the reviews are pouring in.  Most are touting it up to kid-fare rather than the rollicking fun of the original movies or the epic saga of the prequels. This film follows Anakin on the downhill slope to Vader during the chaos of the Clone Wars. Variety says:

One could say that excluding them from the bigscreen “Star Wars” saga was the equivalent of writing the history of the United States and leaving out the Civil War. The omission, however, left Lucas and his cohorts with the opportunity to invent a virtually endless array of battles, which is what “Clone Wars” mostly consists of: a little exposition, an invasion; some more exposition, a light saber fight; a bit more blah-blah, a spaceship dogfight, and on and on.

Noticeably, Lucas decided to upgrade to 3d on this retelling of the Clone Wars rather return to the Samurai Jack feel of the traditionally animated ”Star Wars: Clone Wars” series of 2003.

Lucas & Co. here employ a computer-generated anime/manga style that results in somewhat more dramatic compositions and color schemes. But the movements, both of the characters and the compositions, look mechanical, and the mostly familiar characters have all the facial expressiveness of Easter Island statues.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars precedes the Cartoon Network show “Clone Wars” debuting on October 3rd.  

According to Animation Magazine Sony Pictures is teaming up with Animation Mentor to pump up their IPAX education program. This three month long mentor program will be available to top students in the IPAX program, pairing them up with a Sony Animation and Imageworks artist for intensive training.

The program is designed specifically for advanced students who are working on a range of special projects including short films, animation or visual effects. Mentors will give students individual input and feedback to help guide their work and perfect their skills over the course of the program.

And since Animation Mentor has been the most talked about school dedicated to the craft of animation, it is a savvy choice on Sony’s part to use their model for their revamp of IPAX.

Animation Mentor’s innovative mentor/apprentice teaching model and online learning platform will enable Sony mentors to work with students to help them develop their skills and grow their craft. Tools include live video conference Q&A sessions with mentors, video guest lectures with industry experts and eCritiques consisting of video commentary on student work.

Only time will tell what kind of digital magic this training will have on upcoming Sony Pictures.

It looks like Dreamworks Animation is going into the sequel business. Hollywood Reporter has a story today about Dreamworks’ upcoming film “Madagascar: Return 2 Africa”, in which Jeffrey Katzenberg is quoted as calling

it the “second chapter in one story,” Katzenberg said, “there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York.”

He also commented that this second film brings back all the voice actors of the first film including Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer, as well as introducing a new character voiced by the late comic Bernie Mac.

“Madagascar” made more than $530 million in worldwide boxoffice. It was DWA’s highest-grossing nonsequel until “Kung Fu Panda” recently topped $560 million.

Speaking of “Kung Fu Panda”, Reuters also has a story today that Dreamworks is looking into a sequel for this film as well and could make an announcement soon.

“We’ve started conversations about it, and I think in the next 30 or 60 days, we’ll be able to talk completely about that,” Katzenberg told Reuters, when asked about a follow-up to a film that has raked in $560 million in global ticket sales.