'Despicable Me 2' (Photo: Universal Pictures)

If you were looking forward to hearing Al Pacino voice a character in an animated feature, the wait just got a whole lot longer. Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment revealed Friday that Pacino has been dropped from the voice cast of "Despicable Me 2," with the studios citing creative differences.

Columbia PicturesThe Earth is apparently still in need of protection from the scum of the universe as Sony Pictures has hired a screenwriter to pen "Men in Black 4," the follow-up to last summer's sci-fi comedy hit.

Sony has brought on one of its new favorite scribes, Oren Uziel, to write the fourth installment of the highly lucrative franchise, which will continue the adventures of (presumably) Agent J (Will Smith) and K (either Tommy Lee Jones or Josh Brolin, depending on what time period you happen to be in). Actually, the details of the project are vague at best, as it's unknown if either Smith or Jones will actually be returning, and Brolin and "MiB3" star Emma Thompson currently don't have deals to reprise their roles.

Marvel

Today's release of "Iron Man 3" marks the official beginning of Marvel's Phase Two, a new set of stand-alone cinematic adventures that will lead up to another mega-hero-mashup, "The Avengers 2." Phase One began with Tony Stark in 2008's "Iron Man," so it's only appropriate that the billionaire industrialist who occasionally suits up and saves the world is leading the second charge.

The next Phase Two film spotlights the character that was probably the hardest sell of Phase One, Thor of Asgard (Chris Hemsworth). The boisterous thunder-controlling god (or something) from another dimension returns for a new adventure in "Thor: The Dark World," and the superheroic yet brash and arrogant warrior isn't done with being severely humbled just yet.

Getty Images

Is Mr. Rogers a big screen star? Would he be? Could he be? It appears there are some decision makers in Hollywood who think so. Deadline reports that “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a spec screenplay about the late and beloved TV icon, has been picked up by Treehouse Pictures with the intent to make it a big screen feature.

The plot details have not yet been disclosed, but judging from what Treehouse exec Justin Nappi told Deadline about the project, it is safe to assume the movie to be a biopic.

“Fred Rogers was such an inspirational man for so many people,” said Rappi. “His keen ability to find the good in anyone, or anything, will make for a truly inspiring cinematic experience. In literally shaping the world around him to fit into his own unique perspective, he created what is arguably the most influential American children’s television show of all time.”

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” was written by Alexis Jolly, who worked as a staff writer on “The Ellen DeGeneres

Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang' (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

When Jon Favreau decided to step down as director after the first two "Iron Man" films (he still reprises his role as Tony Stark's friend and one-time bodyguard, Happy Hogan), there was much handwringing amongst fans about what it meant for the future of the franchise. When writer-director Shane Black was signed on for "Iron Man 3," some expressed skepticism.

Black's only other directorial experience, after all, was 2005's "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," a snappy, noir-ish crime comedy starring Val Kilmer, a fresh Michelle Monaghan and… Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr. That experience no doubt helped him seal the "Iron Man 3" gig, but the $15-million-budgeted "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" - at the time barely more than a belated professional thank you from producer Joel Silver and distributor Warner Bros. for Black's screenwriting work on the hugely profitable "Lethal Weapon" series - is more than just a quaint little curio.

Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesThe films of Danish auteur Nicolas Winding Refn are known for their extremely violent content. But it's a heavily stylized, heightened kind of violence, with Refn taking an almost whimsical and even strangely beautiful approach to death and destruction. It's not a surprising aesthetic for a filmmaker who feels violence is akin to sex ... even though he's not always completely successful in describing that particular philosophy to his cast.

The first behind-the-scenes clip from Refn's new blood-soaked opus, "Only God Forgives," features the director trying to explain this approach to his lead actor and current muse, Ryan Gosling.