'Star Trek Into Darkness' Scores 9-Minute IMAX Preview

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but we already have some welcome early holiday cheer to celebrate thanks to an unexpected announcement from Paramount: a special preview of footage from "Star Trek Into Darkness" will be screened at select theaters on December 14.

That's right, in less than one month we're finally going to get a look at more than three frames of J.J. Abrams' highly-anticipated sequel, thanks to a nine-minute preview to be held at 500 digital IMAX theaters all over the country.

If this sounds slightly familiar, at around the same time last year Christopher Nolan unveiled an action-packed six minute prologue of "The Dark Knight Rises," an event that served to further fire-up the fan base. Not that "Rises" and "Trek" should or need to be compared here, but this move by Paramount and Abrams is a smart one. Plus Abrams is a big fan of IMAX and "jumped" at the chance to shoot portions of the film in the format.

"All expectations were exceeded'the action and resolution is insane at this scale," Abrams said in June when it was announced "Into Darkness" would shoot certain sequences in IMAX. "We cannot wait for audiences to see the crew of the Enterprise in a way they never have before."

A handful of people have already seen the Enterprise on the extra big screen, by the way. IMAX Chairman and President Greg Foster promises us an "incredible" nine-minute experience.

'Our longtime partners J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and the Bad Robot team have really hit it out of the park ' the footage is absolutely incredible," Foster said in a statement. 'Their use of the IMAX Camera and canvas is sure to impress current and future Star Trek fans alike, and we're thrilled to once again work with our friends at Paramount Pictures to offer this extended 'first look' at this highly anticipated summer blockbuster.'

Are you excited to see "Star Trek Into Darness" in IMAX? Tell us in the comments section or on Twitter!

Tags Star Trek Into Darkness

Tom Hardy Lands 'Splinter Cell' Lead Role

Now here's a video game adaptation that we can totally get behind. According to a new report, Tom Hardy has signed on to star in a big screen take on "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell."

Video game publisher and developer Ubisoft is already riding high thanks to the news that Michael Fassbender is slated to star in and co-produce an adaptation of "Assassin's Creed," and this news is arguably even more exciting. Variety broke the Hardy news, though little else is known about the project.

"Splinter Cell" isn't currently set up at a studio, though "The International" scribe Eric Warren Singer is planning to write a script for Ubisoft. The company is reportedly in early talks to set up the project with either Warner Bros. or Paramount. Hardy will play main character Sam Fisher, who Variety describes as "a highly-trained special operative in a fictional black-ops operation called Echelon." This won't be Hardy's first time playing a government agent, though his CIA agent Tuck in "This Means War" is a whole different type of leading man.

"Tom Hardy is currently one of the biggest talents in the film industry, and he has a phenomenal ability to take on complex and varied roles with his broad range of acting skills," Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, said in a statement. "His involvement in the 'Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell' movie is exciting news for movie and video game fans alike. Meanwhile, Eric Singer is one of the most talented writers of the moment, and ... we're confident he'll bring a fresh approach and create a thrilling story ... while still respecting all the codes and traditions of the franchise that are so important to fans."

Interestingly enough, back in August it had been reported that Hardy would have a role in a Tom Clancy film. At the time, it was believed that Hardy would portray John Kelly in "Without Remorse," a spinoff series to the upcoming "Jack Ryan." It's unclear how this new "Splinter Cell" deal is related to that news or if it circumvents it, but stay tuned to MTV Movies Blog to find out more as soon as we hear about it.

Do you think Tom Hardy is a good fit for "Splinter Cell"? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags Splinter Cell, Tom Hardy

Michael Sheen Really Likes Talking About His 'Breaking Dawn' Laugh

When it comes to the "Twilight Saga," what people tend not to discuss is how freaking weird it can be. Seriously. Did you see "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" last year? Robert Pattinson did some terrible things to a very emaciated Kristen Stewart.

This year and for "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," the strangest thing just might have to be Michael Sheen and his character, Aro's, laugh, which rings out in the battlefield and will definitely creep out the audience.

When MTV News' Josh Horowitz caught up with Sheen, the actor explained what the hell was up with that laugh. "It's the laugh of millennia old insanity rising up from the abyss that is his empty soul," he said.

He took the words right out of our mouths. Anyway, Sheen went on to describe his method behind the laugh at length and made it impossibly clear that a lot of thought went into this little giggle.

"You have to imagine being so bored for years, upon years, upon years, and something happens that you've never seen before, something you never thought you could possibly see, the newest and the most extraordinary of things appears before you, which in the film is this young girl, Renesmee," Sheen said. "Then you just have to let it out. I played Mozart years ago, so there's Mozart's laugh in there from 'Amadeus.' There's the madness of Roman emperors like Caligula."

That's right. Mozart and Caligula. That's awesome.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" opens in theaters tomorrow.

Tags michael sheen, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn part 2

James Bond's DB5 Shows Up In 'Grand Theft Auto V' Trailer

Hot off the mega-success of "Skyfall," James Bond is receiving a new honor.

In the newly released second trailer for "Grand Theft Auto V," 007's iconic Aston Martin BD5, which played a significant role in "Skyfall," appears falling out the back of a semi.

It's unclear whether the cameo will result in a driveable version of the classic car from "Goldfinger," but knowing Rockstar and their love for movies, we have a feeling that you'll be cruising around Los Santos, the GTA universe's stand-in for Los Angeles, this Spring when the next game drops.

Click past the jump to watch the trailer!

Head over to MTV Geek and the Multiplayer blog for all your "Grand Theft Auto V" and video game coverage.

"Grand Theft Auto V" will hit Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the Spring of 2013.

What did you think of the second trailer? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Tags grand theft auto, james bond, Skyfall

That 'Oz The Great And Powerful' Poster Looks Familiar

Yesterday, we brought you a look at the complete three-part poster for "Oz the Great and Powerful," and earlier today, a new trailer for the Sam Raimi-directed fantasy debut. (You can watch it here.)

But what really has people's attention today is something that a Reddit user pointed out over on /r/movies. It turns out that Disney is really looking to recapture the enormous audience that came out to see their other revisionist fairy tale, "Alice in Wonderland." One quick look at the two posters leaves little doubt that they're trying to spark some connection between to the two movies.

Check out the side-by-side after the jump!

The two films were always going to bear some kind of resemblance. Robert Stromberg, who also worked on "Avatar," served as production designer for both Disney productions, and there are certainly shades of his overall aesthetic in both Oz and Wonderland.

But it's when you take a gander at the posters for the two films, that you begin to see how similar Disney wants them to appear.

What do you think of the similarities between the two posters? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Tags alice in wonderland, Oz The Great and Powerful, Posters

'Django Unchained' Wallpapers: Your Desktop Gets Some Revenge

Is your current desktop wallpaper a picture of some green grass and a blue sky? Or a picture of a kitten or some eerie-looking trees?

Forget all of that. It's time your desktop got some revenge.

Thankfully, a brand new set of wallpapers from "Django Unchained" and the official website are here to spice things up for your boring old computer background. So instead of that picture of a cool car or Ryan Gosling, you can have a picture of Walton Goggins as Billy Crash, which, in all honesty, is the smart choice.

Check out some of our favorite backgrounds and a new teaser after the jump!

'Anchorman 2' Will Have You Singing A Song

One of the greatest moments in the original "Anchorman" movie didn't take place until the very end of the 2004 news spoof when the cast got super funky to the stains of the soft rock staple "Afternoon Delight."

Well, in addition to the return of Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Champ Kind and the irrepressible Brick Tamland, "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" promises more musical enchantments.

Speaking to The Playlist, director/producer/writer Adam McKay said he's already worked up some ear candy treats for the sequel due out next year.

"There will be some music in 'Anchorman 2' though for sure, we have some songs already written," he said. "We were going to do 'Anchorman 2' as a Broadway musical first, for like six months and then go shoot the movie. That was our initial idea." The Will Ferrell/Steve Carell-headlined movie, which has had a difficult path to the big screen, will most definitely have "whole sequences" devoted to musical numbers, though McKay did not reveal which songs might make the cut.

"The music sequences we have done -- we did 'Afternoon Delight' [in 'Anchorman'], Adam Scott and his family singing 'Sweet Child O' Mine' [in 'Step Brothers'], we did a whole song for 'Talladega Nights' that got cut out, a big, big musical number -- we always do it live on the set," McKay explained. "And my thing is, if the actors get freaked out, don't sweat it, we can always re-record it later. And every time we've done it, we end up using the live track from the recording. We'll probably do it the same way in this." This time, though, he might make the actors sweat it out thanks to a "little more movement," which he feared might test the actors' stamina.

McKay said he's working over the top-secret script along with star and producing partner Ferrell. While he wouldn't give any details on what adventures await San Diego's crack news team, he did give a peek at the challenges they might face in a digital world.

"Even thought it's going to be a big silly movie, it's all about the rise of the new media and 24 hour news cycle, and there's a lot of interesting points to make about that while being silly," McKay said. "I mean what is this 24 hours news, and this wall of white noise information, has it really been good for our country? The great thing when you find a point of view like that is that it doesn't have to be preachy or didactic, it's also funny. It's just funny that Americans have to contend with 2000 channels, and 60 different specific news sources, and the confusion that it creates, and the junk that we get to see is hilarious. That's what we're always kinda looking for, what's the point of view that's got life to it and plays."

Back in June, star Carell told MTV News that he was hoping the Channel 4 news crew didn't change a note in the sequel. "I hope he doesn't evolve at all," Carell said of his lamp-loving character Tamland. "I haven't seen the script, so I'm not sure, but I hope he doesn't evolve ' I hope he doesn't have any more presence in the movie than he did already."

"Anchorman 2" will start shooting in March and no release date has been announced yet.

Tags Adam McKay, Anchorman 2, will ferrell