'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Joins A Growing List Of Leaked Movies

Hugh Jackman isn't having a good day. The Internet is buzzing with news that a full-length version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has appeared online a full month before it's due in theaters.

But at least Hugh's not alone. While the big-budget franchise reboot is certainly the most substantial and high-profile to hit the Web, it's not the first. As studios and audiences have come to know, spoilers are a fact of movie life these days.

Until now, the most infamous leak came in 2003, when Universal's "Hulk" found its way onto the Internet two weeks before its release. The Ang Lee-directed film still managed to open with a $62 million weekend. A week later, though, it experienced a 70 percent box-office drop and went on to be a financial failure (which probably had less to do with the leak than with the film being poorly received by both critics and moviegoers).

The lesson learned from "Hulk" would appear to be that if your movie is good, spoilers don't matter. But 2003 was practically a technological lifetime ago. Web video was in its infancy, and widely used sharing sites like YouTube didn't even exist. The number of people with the equipment and know-how to view "Hulk" early pales in comparison to those who can now watch "Wolverine" with a just a few mouse clicks.

Inevitably, then, more and more films have become the targets of leaked footage, scripts or photos, including "Iron Man,""Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,""The Wolfman,""Sex and the City,""The Simpsons Movie" and "The Happening." In 2005, eight people were charged with copyright-infringement offenses related to the leaking of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith." Oscar-nominated films consistently show up on the Internet, as screeners are distributed to Academy voters. Last spring, a bystander recorded footage of Jason Segel fighting Lou Ferrigno on the set of "I Love You, Man" (hardly a spoiler, but when even buddy comedies are under attack, you know the industry has a major problem on its hands).

Leaks haven't just been a tricky situation for the movie business. Photographed pages of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" appeared days before that book's publication, and the details of two eye-popping endings of "Lost" season finales were spilled online. The winners of reality shows, which are sometimes taped months before they air, are routinely revealed early.

When it comes to movies, Internet spoilers have become such a problem that they might actually be changing films. A spoiler claiming to reveal the ending of May's "Terminator Salvation" appeared online last year, which reportedly prompted filmmakers to rethink the conclusion.

The "Wolverine" leak raises many questions. What, if anything, will be the impact on the film's box-office receipts? Have we just entered a new era in the history of spoilers in which any blockbuster — "Star Wars," "Transformers," "Terminator" — runs the risk of appearing on a computer screen before the big screen? And if that's the case, what is the implication for the future of mega-budget movies?

Check out everything we've got on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

For breaking comic book movie news, columns and more — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.com.

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Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds Compare 'Adventureland' To A Pop Song

BEVERLY HILLS, California — According to "Superbad" writer/director Greg Mottola, he designed his follow-up film "Adventureland" with the hope that it would play like a great pop song. His stars say they can see the comparison.

"It's very emotional," Kristen Stewart said. "It's got a thumping heartbeat at the core of it, and it's got rhythm."

"And the movie is only three minutes long," co-star Jesse Eisenberg teased.

"I don't know if I would use that example necessarily," Ryan Reynolds countered. "I feel like it plays a lot like some of the greatest '80s movies that I loved. I mean the 'Say Anything ... 's — that Cameron Crowe wheelhouse."

Those movies, however, were always driven by an unforgettable soundtrack (it's no coincidence that "Adventureland" and "Say Anything ... " feature songs by the Replacements); an '80s setting ("Adventureland" is loosely based on Mottola's youth); and a sweet-but-pathetic central character, played by Eisenberg but owing a debt to John Cusack's Lloyd Dobler.

"There's so many different elements — it's dramatic, it's funny, it also feels like this one complete experience," Eisenberg said of "Adventureland," which casts the three actors as a love triangle working miserable jobs at a low-rent amusement park. "The movie is very consistent, even though there's all these different elements. So maybe that is kind of similar to a pop song."

At least Reynolds can speak from experience. "I look back at the '80s, and it's, like, really sketchy fashion choices," the 32-year-old actor laughed, thinking about his love scenes with the 18-year-old Stewart. "She looks back at the '80s as exiting the birth canal. So it's a completely different scenario for us both."

"If I had a time machine," 25-year-old Eisenberg said, "I'd probably bring back a pet rock or something. Wait, that was '70s. What was '80s?"

"Um, the Chia Pet?," guessed Stewart, who was born in 1990. "It grew fuzzy."

"You put seeds on the lamb and it grew," Eisenberg remembered. "It was a ceramic lamb or something."

"Or a turtle," Stewart said.

"Either way," Eisenberg grinned. "It's still a stupid item."

As for now, Stewart is happy being a 21st-century movie star and encouraged her loyal "Twilight" admirers to go see "Adventureland" and not spend their money mailing her Chia Pets. "No," she laughed, perhaps remembering Mike Welch's socks. "I'm OK."

Check out everything we've got on "Adventureland."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'State Of Play' Makes Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck Look At Reporters In New Light

BEVERLY HILLS, California — In the past, they've dealt with incessant questioning about what it's like to date J. Lo, Meg Ryan, Ryan Gosling and others. They've had their bad moments dissected, their missteps mocked and their most private moments captured by reporters and photographers all over the world.

But now that they've made a movie about journalism, how do Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams feel about those who've made their lives so miserable for all these years?

"I feel the same way," a defiant Crowe laughed recently, discussing his upcoming role in "State of Play" as an overworked, underpaid newspaper reporter. "I respect somebody like [my character] Cal, who has a certain ethical code. ... But I think the lines between journalism and politics and news and entertainment have been blurred for a long time."

Although "Play" is a political thriller, the April 17 film is built around three characters with distinctly different outlooks: Cal McAffrey the old-school journalist, Della Frye the young Internet blogger (McAdams) and secretive politician Stephen Collins (Affleck).

"I definitely think it will be the last movie about a newspaper," Affleck said of the film's depiction of a circulation-challenged daily called the Washington Globe. "This is a movie made around the time that the Internet destroyed newspapers, which is happening now. ... All the newspapers [are falling] apart, and the Internet is going to take over, for better or worse."

And, according to Affleck, it might be for worse. "It could be this completely biased, rancorous, ugly noise that takes the place of journalism," he warned of a world where blogs become our primary news source. "And you don't know what is true and what isn't."

"What I realized while making the movie is that journalists are working for someone, and they have to sell a sexy story," McAdams said. "People want to see these sexy, juicy stories, and sometimes the truth is skewed a little bit in that. ... It's really complex. They are kind of like superheroes, having these double lives."

That aspect of journalism is also explored in the film, as Crowe's McAffrey is an old friend and former college roommate of Affleck's Collins. And when the congressman is embroiled in a scandal, the reporter must decide whether his loyalty lies with his friend or his editor.

"I have friends who are serious journalists, who over the years could have very easily, at certain points of fame, made extra money by telling a couple tales out of school," Crowe explained. "And they haven't done so, and we have remained friends."

"I definitely have a more full understanding of the pressures journalists face," Affleck said. "My previous conversations with journalists were all one-sided. Even though I wasn't playing a journalist, the story is about empathizing with a guy who is a journalist.

"[I now realize] that journalists are ambitious and competing with each other inside institutions and that the institutions themselves have to compete with one another to stay afloat," he continued. "I never understood those dynamics very well, so I've gained an appreciation for that, and it changed the way I saw things."

Check out everything we've got on "State of Play."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Chris Brown Is 'A Good Kid,' Says Co-Star Paul Walker

Paul Walker is excited for the release of his upcoming action flick, "Takers," even though two of the movies actors, T.I. and Chris Brown, are facing real-life action of their own. T.I. is set to serve a yearlong prison sentence, and Brown faces arraignment on charges of assault and criminal threats after his alleged altercation with Rihanna in February.

Walker, who is currently promoting "Fast & Furious" (out Friday), doesn't think his 19-year-old co-star's legal troubles will have any effect on the film. "I hope everything gets worked out, 'cause I really like him," he told MTV News about Brown. "I feel for him, 'cause I know it's hard, but he's going to be all right."

Walker got to work closely with Brown while filming "Takers" last year. "He's just a kid," Walker said. "He's just cool. He's fun. ... He's a 19-year-old kid, just high on life. Just having a good time. Always dancing and singing, never stops, always got a smile on his face. Really good energy, good kid to be around."

In "Takers," which also stars Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen and Idris Elba, Walker plays one of the bad guys the audience will root for. "I play this guy John Rodway," he explained. "It's a big heist movie. It's all about the robbery, and these guys coming up, and they're like the bad-guy crew that you can't help but pull for, 'cause they're all good guys. They're really tight. It's 'Heat' meets 'Point Break.' It's got that feel to it."

With the Brown chatter out of the way and the plot synopsis done, Walker was ready to share his one criticism of the film. It seems at the time of the interview Walker didn't realize that the film, which had the original title of "Bone Deep," had been changed to "Takers," a detail we are sure will make him quite happy. "I'll tell you one thing: The title's gotta change. It's gotta," he joked about the original title. "We can talk about this all we want, but it's gonna be under a completely different title when it comes out. I'm sorry, that is not sticking."

Check out everything we've got on "Fast & Furious" and "Takers."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Miley Cyrus Doesn't Want A 'Hannah Montana' Sequel

Although the film hasn't even opened yet, Miley Cyrus is already pretty sure there will be only be one "Hannah Montana" movie in her life. The Kids' Choice Award-winning 16-year-old, who is currently promoting "Hannah Montana: The Movie," doesn't feel it's necessary to bring the character back to the big screen for a sequel.

"I feel like this is a TV show, and we got really lucky with having the material to make one movie," the actress/singer said Monday, reports UsMagazine.com. "To do another one, I feel like it takes away the reality of it all."

Cyrus isn't ruling out the possibility to continue the role on the small screen, however. In fact, once season three ends, she said she hopes that show will go on, if all the stars align.

"We are continuing to do season three, and we all wish to do a season four, and I would love to do that if the time is right and if that's what everyone agrees on," she said. "I don't know if I would do another film, but I would love to do another season. I think that would be what we would all agree on."

Just because Cyrus doesn't want to return to the big screen as the double-life-leading Hannah doesn't mean she's through with movies. In fact, Cyrus is already gearing up to film a Nicholas Sparks movie this summer. Sparks specifically wrote the screenplay and a novel with Miley in mind.

"You never really hear that the movie was written before the book," Cyrus said. "It's kind of a weird way to do that. But he wrote the movie before he wrote the book, and he wrote it with me in mind."

Though very little details have been revealed about the film, we do know that it revolves around love and family, topics Cyrus knows a little something about.

"I've always been lucky to play parts that relate to me — and this doesn't at all," Cyrus said of her upcoming role. "I have my issues, but not as bad as this chick! I am happy to play someone who is just kind of out there and not someone that I am like."

Check out everything we've got on "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Gossip Girl' Star Chace Crawford Auditions For 'Footloose'

Just a week after Zac Efron dropped out of the "Footloose" remake, we've gotten word that another pretty face has been linked to the project. According to reports, "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford has auditioned for the role.

"He did really well," a source told E! News. Crawford's name originally came up after gossip blogs and Web sites began suggesting him as a replacement for Efron.

After Efron dropped out of the film to pursue other types of roles, Paramount released a statement saying they remain committed to the Kenny Ortega-helmed film. Ortega also did the "High School Musical" movies with Efron.

" 'Footloose' is a project we've longed to see rebooted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of [director] Kenny Ortega, [producers] Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise," a Paramount Pictures rep told UsMagazine.com. "Their fresh take on the film will undoubtedly be filled with the same kind of breakout performances that we've come to expect from them."

Just days after Efron dropped out of "Footloose," it was announced he'd be in the more serious film, "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud," which will be directed by his "17 Again" director Burr Steers. The film is about "a caretaker at a cemetery who manages to have weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault."

Reps for Crawford and "Footloose" did not respond to comment from MTV News.

Check out everything we've got on "Footloose."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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'Monsters Vs. Aliens' Scares Box-Office Competition

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Monsters Vs. Aliens" ($58.2 million)
#2 "The Haunting in Connecticut" ($23 million)
#3 "Knowing" ($14.7 million)
#4 "I Love You, Man" ($12.6 million)
#5 "Duplicity" ($7.56 million)

It was "Monsters vs. Aliens" versus a sluggish March box office — and the "Monsters" came out victorious. DreamWorks' 3-D crowd-pleaser won over moviegoers and took the #1 spot with an impressive $58.2 million. That's more than "Watchmen" took on its debut a mere four weeks ago, earning "Monsters" a spot as one of the highest-grossing March debuts. It's also the biggest 3-D opener yet, with the film bringing in 56 percent of its take just through 3-D screenings.

"The Haunting in Connecticut" also had a strong debut, landing at #2 with $23 million. But "12 Rounds" opened at a flat #7, with only $5.3 million.

The rest of the top spots all belonged to the sophomores. Nicolas Cage's "Knowing" dropped two spots to #3, but still did solid business at $14.7 million, bringing its total to $46.2 million.

"I Love You, Man" still managed to wrestle some love from those cuddly monsters. Though it dropped all the way to #4, it brought in another $12.6 million and has earned $37 million so far.

"Duplicity" also hung in there at #5, though the power of Julia Roberts and Clive Owen is beginning to weaken — it only brought in $7.56 million.

This weekend was the last that anyone was watching the "Watchmen." It fell off the top five this week, plunging all the way to #8 with only $2.75 million. It has now managed to clear $103 million but is one of the slowest $50 million openers to do so. It moved at a snail's pace compared to the other members of 2009's $100 million club, a list of unlikely smash hits that includes "Taken," "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Gran Torino."

Overall, the box-office total was a pleasing $143 million, up 34 percent from last year. After several slow weekends, Hollywood is undoubtedly breathing a sigh of relief that their market is continuing to thrive. Too bad big friendly monsters can't solve every economic slump!

Upcoming Releases

Only two films get wide release next Friday: Universal's sequel "Fast & Furious" and Miramax's "Adventureland."

Check out everything we've got on "Monsters vs. Aliens."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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