Cowboys and Aliens

WonderCon is in full effect here in San Francisco, and today I checked out another panel for an upcoming movie: Cowboys & Aliens. The actors in the film, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde, weren't able to attend, but directer Jon Favreau and producer Roberto Orci gave the crowd a lot to be excited about. They spilled details about the Western-meets-alien-invasion action flick, and showed the audience several minutes of footage, which definitely improved upon the teaser we saw a few months ago. Check out the most scintillating bits from the panel below.

• Favreau kicked off the panel by saying how grateful he was for events like Comic-Con and WonderCon. Because of the support of the fans, he says that the conventions remain a priority, and that he is "very grateful for what you guys have done for my career."
• Favreau complimented star Daniel Craig, calling him an "awesome, professional, great dude." Craig was ideal for the movie because Favreau admired his work in Layer Cake and the Bond films, saying that he's "sort of a vulnerable but really badass hero."
• As for the film's other huge star, Harrison Ford, Orci admitted that they never thought he would agree to the film. The victory in getting Ford, Favreau said, is that he is "bringing this entire history" to the movie, and alongside Craig, they have "two generations of action stars."
• Favreau is excited about the mashup of the Western genre with the aliens, noting that "the fun isn't in making fun of the fact that they're in a Western," but that the fun is in the alien presence "blowing their minds."
• Although Favreau frequently cameos in the movies he directs, he doesn't appear in Cowboys & Aliens. The funny reason for it, he said, is because Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane made fun of him for wanting to!

You pretty much know what you're going to get when a movie has an obvious title like Cowboys & Aliens, but in case there was any confusion, the film really is all about cowboys and aliens. Working off the graphic novel of the same title, Jon Favreau's new project creates a hybrid out of western and sci-fi, which feels like a strange (albeit innovative) pairing.

Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde star as early Arizona settlers who are forced to ward off extraterrestrials when a UFO invades their town. The trailer doesn't reveal too much about the characters, but there's something fishy going on with Craig and that Iron Man-like gadget he wears. While I'm a big Favreau fan, this blend of genres definitely takes some getting used to — and I've already watched the trailer six times. The film doesn't come to theaters until July 29, but give it a look and share your thoughts when you read more

• Justin Bieber gets choked up on stage — YouTube
• Kristen Stewart's best movies — Rotten Tomatoes
• James Cameron is directing a 3D Black Eyed Peas concert movie?! — Cinematical
• Mad Men's Abigail Spencer joins Cowboys and Aliens — Inside Movies
• Kyle Bornheimer replaces Kyle Howard in NBC's Perfect Couples — PopWatch
• Trent Reznor will provide the score for The Social Network — Vulture
• Why Toy Story 3 will bring you to tears — LilSugar

• Diane Kruger to play a French journalist in the drama Special Forces — Coming Soon
• Sam Worthington has been cast as the title character in Quatermain — Cinematical
• Leonard Nimoy talks about his appearance on the Fringe season finale — GeekSugar
• Paul Dano will star in Cowboys & Aliens — Deadline Hollywood
• Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, and Kristin Scott Thomas will star in Salmon Fishing — MTV Movies Blog
• Listen to Kylie Minogue's new single — Vulture
• Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright have signed on for Moneyball — The Wrap
• Patrick Dempsey will star in action comedy Flypaper — PopWatch

• Hiiiigh-ya! Watch The New Pornographers' video for "Your Hands (Together)" — Spinner
• A secret JJ Abrams trailer?! The nerd in me is super giddy right now — HitFix
• Tony nominations are out (congrats, Scarlett Johansson) — Vulture
• Sam Rockwell joins Cowboys & Aliens — Cinematical
• Katherine McPhee and Zachary Levi sing a duet. And it's not a joke — Music Mix
• Hugo Weaving will play Red Skull in Captain America — MTV.com
• The best songs to get people dancing at a wedding — Wedding Channel
• Samuel L. Jackson is developing a Showtime drama with Neil LaBute — TV Squad
• Decorating ideas from NBC's Parenthood — CasaSugar
• Matthew Vaughn in talks to direct an X-Men prequel — Moviefone
• Kids do a spot-on reenactment of Seinfeld — BuzzFeed

• Aziz Ansari is in talks to star in upcoming film 30 Minutes or Less — PopWatch
• Kate Gosselin and her kids will return to TLC in a new series called Twist of Kate — LilSugar
• HBO nabs the new Mike White/Laura Dern comedy, Enlightened — TV Guide
• HBO has also picked up Adrian Grenier's documentary Teenage Paparazzo — HitFix
• The best Muppet vs. celebrity interactions of all time — Flavorwire
• Harrison Ford is confirmed to star in Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens — Cinematical
• The top 10 Steve Carell movies — Rotten Tomatoes
• Jack Black takes on a new role as a TV producer — Variety

• Jimmy Fallon parodies Glee with Fred Armisen and Abby Elliott in "6-bee" — PopWatch
• Zach Galifianakis to host SNL March 6! — The AV Club
• Brad Pitt options The Blind Side writer's book about the housing bubble, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine — Vulture
• Andy Samberg is going to guest star on Parks and Recreation! — Zap2It
• Olivia Wilde is in talks to join Daniel Craig in Cowboys and Aliens — Inside Movies
• Greg Kinnear, Alan Arkin, and Billy Crudup have been cast in The Convincer — Coming Soon
• Darren Star is going to direct a film about controversial activist Anita Bryant for HBO — TV Squad
• Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey are co-producing the film adaption of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle — MTV Movies Blog
• Johnny Depp says he's directing a Keith Richards biopic — The Playlist
• Casa shows you how to get the cozy home look of Life Unexpected — CasaSugar