Battle Angel Still a Go for James Cameron

Back in May, James Cameron revealed that, after the Avatar sequels, he's completely done directing or producing any more narrative films, claiming, "I'm not interested in developing anything. I'm in the Avatar business. Period." However, there's still one last franchise for the filmmaker to tackle: Battle Angel.

"We'll focus on 'Avatar' for the next four or five years," producer Jon Landau told Coming Soon when asked about Cameron's interest in the property. "Hopefully right after that... I am confident you will see it. It's one of my favorite stories. I think it is an incredible story, a journey of self-discovery of a young woman. It is a movie that begs the question: 'What does it mean to be human? Are you human if you have a heart, are you human if you have a mind, are you human if you have a soul?' And I look forward to bringing that film to audiences."

Based on the '90s manga series, Battle Angel takes place in a post-apocalyptic future and centers on Alita, a cyborg girl who has lost all her memories and doesn't even know who she really is.

Laeta Kalogridis (Alexander, Shutter Island) provided the latest draft of the screenplay, which combines the first three graphic novels into the film's story.

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The First X-Men #2 Review

If Grant Morrison and Joss Whedon proved anything in their respective X-Men runs, it's that a little bit of Wolverine goes a long way. Unfortunately, the character's enduring popularity ensures that Marvel is rarely content to deliver just a little Wolverine. The First X-Men represents Wolverine mania at its most damaging. Its attempts to make Wolverine a more integral part of the formation of the X-Men is misguided. The First X-Men becomes just one more poorly executed X-book that mucks about with an increasingly convoluted franchise continuity.

Where issue #1 busied itself downplaying the role of Xavier in the conception and formation of the X-Men, issue #2 does the same for Magneto. I can't help but resent the implication that Xavier and Magneto only became interested in human/mutant relations because Wolverine scolded them. The same for the notion that a fear of Wolverine was the impetus for both the creation of Weapon X and the Sentinel program. It damages long-standing characters in order to build up another that really needs no more time in the spotlight.

But even ignoring the continuity quagmires this book creates, the characterization in the book is extremely spotty. Sabretooth's presence is downright perplexing, as I can't ever recall a time when the character was so pleasant and accommodating to his fellow mutants. He reads like an entirely different character. If not quite as pronounced, Magneto suffers from the same effect. The new additions to the X-Men franchise, from Holo to Yeti to Adam, are extremely bland and generic, doing little more than filling archetypal X-Men roles. The dialogue is also frequently grating and over-written. I'm not sure how large a role Christos Gage is playing in the scripting process, but the series offers none of the charm of his Avengers Academy and X-Men Legacy work.

Nor does the artwork do anything to help the story. The First X-Men is further proof that Neal Adam's style hasn't aged very well. His once phenomenal sense of perspective is diminished. Characters are extremely stiff and robotic, and most are stuck sporting the same open-mouthed expression of surprise throughout the issue. The inking is also problematic, lending every surface a harsh, jagged edge that is a far cry from Adams' refined line-work of old.

The best that can be said for The First X-Men is that it doesn't simply dump a handful of X-Men: First Class movie elements into the franchise, as many were expecting. Its problems are uniquely its own.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. He can't wait until he's old enough to feel ways about stuff. Follow Jesse on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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The Avengers Cross $1.5 Billion Mark

Anything Batman can do, The Avengers can do better it would seem. For no sooner has The Dark Knight Rises crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office than the Marvel team-up movie has made $1.5 billion.

Following The Avengers’ American re-released over the Labor Day weekend, the film added a further 2.2m to its total gross, hitting the $620m mark domestically.

And as of Monday, it had made $1.502 billion worldwide.

Ignoring inflation and the higher price of a modern-day or 3D ticket, The Avengers is now the third most successful film in history, with only the James Cameron one-two punch of Avatar and Titanic ahead.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and saw The Avengers a grand total of twice. His idle chit-chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.

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GameStop Planning "Vintage Game" Sales

Check out GameStop's website and you can pretty much buy any game from the past generation or two - or pre-order anything due out for the next several years. But one thing that's missing from the global retail giant is the ability to buy games prior to the era of the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Want a classic NES or SNES game? Some other classic part of gaming history? You won't find it.

According to GameStop CEO Paul Raines, that's going to change.

"We think there's a vintage sales opportunity, so we're accumulating some inventory," Raines told Verge in a recent interview, specifically pointing towards GameStop's website as the destination for this new venture. "If you go to eBay and look at all of the gaming stuff that's on there, it's unbelievable. Collector's stuff. We've got to be in that business. We will be."

Raines noted his company already has many old school classics, the result of trade-ins over the company's meandering 25-plus year history. According to the executive, there are a few challenges remaining, such as "sourcing the product, the condition [and] the refurbishment," but because the demand is there, the effort to expand the business is seen as worth it.

Raines offered no timetable for this expansion, merely noting his company is "working on some stuff we haven't announced yet."

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

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Captain America and Namor #635.1 Review

Captain America and Namor #635.1 is a hard issue to accurately peg. It has moments that are pretty good and then it has some really strange scenes. More than anything, it doesn't feel like a comic book that really needs to exist. It doesn't add much to either character, which would be okay if it didn't take itself so damn seriously. There is a guy in here named Murderous Lion and he doesn't do anything; he is instead a setup for things to come. Come on, if you show us Murderous Lion, then you need to show us something fun. Unfortunately, fun is something sorely lacking in this issue.

Cullen Bunn is a great writer. He is not, however, a very good Captain America writer. You know that scene where Captain America talks to a bunch of troops right before they parachute out of an airplane? That scene that has happened in a ton of different books starring Captain America? Well, it happens in this issue and it is awkward and completely uninspiring. It borders on bad. There are a lot of moments like that in this issue. However, there are also some solid story points and cool characters. The scenes that don't have Cap in them are actually pretty good.

Despite the clunky story, the issue really shines in the art department. Will Conrad has a clean, smooth style that makes this comic really easy on the eyes. While the scenes with Cap may not be written very well, they sure do look awesome. It's a pity that the story is such a miss, because Conrad really hits the mark. Hell, he even makes Namor look cool, and that is no easy feat.

Benjamin is a writer and storyteller. He owns many leather-bound books and his office smells of rich mahogany. Follow Benjamin on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

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