A new new character posters for ‘Killers’ which stars Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl have made it’s debut on Apple Trailers. Check them out below and weigh in with your thoughts on the flick!

In addition to Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, the cast for the film includes Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Mull. ‘Killers’ is slated to hit theaters on June 4, 2010.

Synopsis: KILLERS, starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, and directed by Robert Luketic (21, THE UGLY TRUTH), is a hilarious, unpredictable action comedy about love, marriage and serious firepower. Lionsgate Presents an Aversano Films, Katalyst Films and Lionsgate Production of KILLERS, a film by Robert Luketic.

Conan O'Brien

Conan O’Brien may not currently have a home on television, but has found a new way to bring the funny to his fans. O’Brien posted on his Twitter page today that he’s hitting the road for a comedy tour. “

He tweeted: “Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour. Go to http://TeamCoco.com for tix. I repeat: It’s half-assed.”

O’Brien’s “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” tour will kick off April 12th in Oregon and work its way across the country before concluding in Atlanta on June 14th. For all the ticket info, check out the Team Coco site.

O’Brien will also emcee Bonnaroo’s “What” stage on Friday and Saturday nights. Joining O’Brien at the fest will be Aziz Ansari (hopefully as Raaaaaaaandy), Margaret Cho, Greg Giraldo, Rob Huebel, Bo Burnham and Jeffrey Ross, who will “roast” Bonnaroo during his set.

Conan O’Brien Live Dates:
Apr. 12 – Eugene, OR @ Hult Center for the Performing Arts
Apr. 13 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
Apr. 16 – Spokane, WA @ INB Performing Arts Center
Apr. 17 – Enoch, AB @ River Cree Resort & Casino
Apr. 18 – Seattle, WA @ Seattle Center
Apr. 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
Apr. 24 – Universal City, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
Apr. 29 – San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theatre
Apr. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
May 1 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theatre
May 4 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
May 5 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose State University Events Center
May 6 – Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
May 9 – Boulder, CO @ Mackey Auditorium
May 10 – Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
May 13 – Dallas, TX @ McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
May 14 – Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
May 15 – Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater
May 16 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
May 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
May 19 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
May 22 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
May 30 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata
June 1 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
June 4 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theater
June 6 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
June 7 – Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
June 8 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
June 11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre

Ruben Fleischer began laying the groundwork for his film making career while working as an assistant for Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl). It was there where he began to see what life behind the camera was all about and it was these experiences that began to fan his creative flames. Fleischer threw caution to the wind and spent the next two years experimenting with various low budget music videos and short films to develop his skill set. It didn’t take long for people to take notice of his considerable talents and things quickly snowballed for the young director. He poured his heart and soul into his work and each project led to something bigger — bigger commercials, bigger videos, bigger budgets. It wouldn’t be long before Hollywood knocked on his door.

While Fleischer may have not set out to become a director initially, there is little doubt that he made a huge impact on the cinematic landscape in 2009. His directorial debut, Zombieland featured Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by flesh-eating zombies. The refreshingly different, delicately balanced mix of comedy and horror became an instant hit with audiences and critics alike. No small feat for a first time director!

Icon Vs. Icon’s Jason Price recently caught up with Ruben Fleischer to discuss his past, his experiences while on the set of Zombieland, the status of the highly anticipated sequel, his work with Funny or Die and what lies in store for this amazing filmmaker in the months to come!

Ruben Fleischer

I grew up in Washington, DC. I went to college in Connecticut and then I moved out to San Fransisco after college. Actually, I didn’t know why I moved to San Fransisco. I ended up doing a bunch of web stuff, just because that was the industry at the time, this was 1996. It was kinda the beginning of the Internet, as we know it now. I lived there for a couple of years and then I moved down to Los Angeles for a web job, which quickly ended. I was out of work and broke! I needed a job and I got one being a production assistant on the television show called ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ mainly because I needed a job, not because of any grand ambitions for Hollywood. If you are here and you can get a quick job as a production assistant, it’s a good way to go. I took the job and got to work with a guy by the name of Mike White. He kinda became my mentor. He went on to write and star in a movie called ‘Chuck & Buck’. He got me a job being the assistant to the director of that film. It was my first real taste of production, film making, cameras, lights or anything else.

Who were some of the influences that you looked to as you came into the industry?

When I started directing my own stuff, the path I took was doing music videos, so Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer and Mark Romanek were my music video influences. Once I started doing more narrative stuff and doing comedy, I would say my influences were more along the lines of the classic 80s movies directors that I grew up on like John Hughes, John Landis, Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis. They were big influences.

What was it about ‘Zombieland’ that jumped out at you and made you want to tackle this as your first feature film?

Honestly, at first I wasn’t too sure about the zombie component of the movie, because growing up, I wasn’t a huge zombie fan. I wasn’t a huge genre fan but I just loved the characters and I loved the comedy. They felt very real and they were guys that I wanted to go on a journey with. It is really about their relationship, the kinda ‘Odd Couple’, buddy comedy aspect of it that I was most excited to explore.

You mention the mix of comedy and horror. Was it difficult to find the right combination of actors to pull those elements off?

Well, as scripted, the characters were very different on the page. It was definitely that classic dynamic between “tough guy” and “nerdy guy”. Woody Harrelson was my first choice and he is who I went after for the part. When he agreed to do it, and I honestly can’t think of anyone better who could have done it, we did a pretty thorough series of casting to find Jesse (Eisenberg). He was a leading candidate but we did read three people opposite of Woody. Jesse seemed closest to the person on the page that we had all kinda fallen in love with.

One of the biggest on-screen surprises for your film or any film in 2009 was the appearance from Bill Murray. How did that come about?

That was purely Woody pulling a favor at the last minute. We had originally scripted the part for other people but they had fallen through, so we were kinda scrambling the week before shooting. Woody offered to make the call to his buddy, Bill. Honestly, their couldn’t have been anyone better or more exciting for that role. It really took the movie to a whole different level and it is part of what makes it so special.

Woody Harrelson & Ruben Fleischer

I come from a low-budget background where we never have enough money to do what we wanted to do, but you have to solve those issues in creative ways. ‘Zombieland’, while it was a big studio movie, certainly didn’t have a major action movie budget. We had to get really creative on how to accomplish some of those stunts and to pull off the whole film. Coming from a low-budget background like that really impacted the approach to the film making of ‘Zombieland’.

You certainly accomplished making it look like you had a big budget and the film had a very cool look to it throughout.

Thank you!

Looking back on the film making process for ‘Zombieland’, what was the biggest challenge for you?

I guess that it is probably the same as what any first time film maker might say, but the duration of the shoot was a challenge and having to think of the movie as a whole. You know, spread out over 41 days as opposed to a video that will be shot in a day or two or a commercial that is shot in a day. It was a matter of trying to manage the whole story and keep it in my head, because obviously you don’t shoot it all in order. There was a lot of thinking about the scene that preceded a certain shot or that might follow, one that we might have shot two weeks ago or might not have shot at that point. Trying to keep it all clear and knowing where their characters are at, for each point, so you know what the performances should be like so that it all fits together, it’s a big challenge.

What is the status of the sequel, ‘Zombieland 2′?

We have been talking to the studio and we pitched them some ideas that they seemed to really like. We are definitely doing the film in 3D. Sony has their own 3D division now and we are going to go get a little tour of that on Tuesday (3/2/2010), of the 3D department. I know that the cast are all excited to be a part of the sequel, so it should be a great, fun movie to make! The script is about to be written and hopefully we will shoot it sometime towards the end of the year or early next year.

Did you have any reservations about doing a sequel?

I didn’t because the movie was originally conceived as a television show, so it was kinda always meant to lead to another episode. There was no finality to the characters or the world in the original concept, so it’s not like we are stretching it. That’s why ‘Zombie Kill of The Week’ is ‘Zombie Kill of The Week’, because that is the kill of the week and next week there will be another one. That’s why I don’t feel that we are being oporrtunistic or too exploitative of the success of the first film. I feel that this is the way it was always intended to be.

You mentioned 3D and at this point everyone has seen James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’. As a director, how big of a game changer was that film for you and will it have any bearing on what you try to do in your film?

Yeah, I feel that ‘Avatar’ has bearing for everybody who makes or watches movies. For me, it was such a significant advancement in entertainment. I loved it and was transfixed while watching it. If we want to tackle 3D, we will need to bear the lessons of that movie in mind and try to create a world with as much dimension, texture and wonderment as that film. I feel like that film didn’t exploit the tricky, “gun barrels in your face”, gimmicky 3D, which I appreciate but I think we will be more prone to have things flying at you than ‘Avatar’ did.

Ruben Fleischer On The Set

Will you be shooting with 3D cameras or is that something you are more likely to handle in post-production?

Nothing has been determined yet but just from the little that I know about 3D, I would greatly prefer to shoot it in 3D.

Well it seem you have plenty on your plate for this year. What else do you have coming up in the near future?

I am kinda working on this bank heist movie that is a kind of a dark comedy. That will hopefully shoot this summer. No one has really been cast yet but it is a dark comedy called ‘Thirty Minutes or Less’. Ben Stiller’s company, Red Hour, will be producing.

You have done a lot of stuff for Funny or Die in the past. How did you originally get involved with them?

I have had a long relationship with Funny or Die. Actually, I met with Adam McKay and Chris Henchy even before they had the website up and running. I showed them this little thirty second video that I had shot with Nick Thune, who is a really funny comedian, called “Masturbation”. It is just the most basic kind of stupid humor. They loved it and said that they would put it on their site. “Masturbation” was one of the earliest videos on the site and I think it has been seen over two million times by now. That lead to doing a bunch of other Nick Thune shorts and I have done a fair amount of little things for them. When they were launching the television series, there is a comedian named Rob Huebel, who I have known through comedy circles, and he wrote and was starring in this thing called “The Holdup”. He asked me to direct and we shot it in a weekend, a couple of weeks after I finished shooting ‘Zombieland’. It’s actually a bank heist thing too, really funny! It has the most incredible ensemble cast that we could ever have hoped for Funny or Die.

I saw the trailer for it on your blog and it looks like it is going to be great!

Yeah, just having Ed Helms, Rachael Harris, Rob Huebel, Creed Bratton, Tom Lennon, Brandon Johnson, Jerry Minor and Malin Akerman, is just an incredible cast for something we shot in a weekend. It really turned out great and I am very proud of it!

You do a lot of projects based around comedy and you clearly do it very well. Is there any other genre that peaks your interest that we might see you tackle in the near future?

I definitely like the action stuff in ‘Zombieland’ and there is a nice action component in ‘Thirty Minutes or Less’. I don’t know if I could ever do anything, purely action but I really love it. I think that there would have to be a hint of comedy but action stuff is very funny to shoot.

Social media is playing such an important role in the marketing of films in the past year. How has it affected you as a film maker and how do you think it will affect film making?

I think the immediacy of the reactions is the biggest thing. I feel like people have been using the internet to promote and market things for a while, whether it is commercials, trailers or online ads, and people are going to be swayed by marketing just as they were before. The biggest change for me is that instant feedback of whether something is good or bad, it is no longer just word of mouth. It is a much more direct feedback loop, whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs or whatever else. Whether it is something really good or something really bad, you hear about it quickly and that will have tremendous impact.

As a young film maker yourself, what is the best piece of advice that you would give to someone looking to take that career path?

Definitely go shoot stuff! Technology is so affordable at this point that you can have a really great camera with relatively good sound for not that much money. You can do editing and pretty sophisticated visual effects on your computer these days, so there are pretty much no limitations for people to make their own stuff, which is how I started. I started doing low-budget music videos or short films on my own with my computer and my video camera and made a ton of stuff that way. Now there is the internet which provides a great forum for people to see the stuff that you make. You can build a reel and shoot stuff and have people see it, be it on YouTube, Funny or Die or your own website. There are no excuses not to be making stuff. That is how you learn, by teaching yourself how to do it and hopefully it is how you get discovered as well. There are plenty of people that I know, including myself, that were doing things on a small scale and then it got popular and recognized on a larger format and lead to greater opportunity. The only reason that I got to make a movie is because I made a music video that was a viral video before YouTube existed. It happened to get seen a couple of hundred thousand times, back in 2001-2002. Then I got opportunities to do commercials and other projects but it was purely because I had made something on my own that got seen be people. There is no reason why that anyone else can’t do that! I didn’t go to film school, I didn’t have a lot of money, I just did it — and I feel like everybody can.

You are getting to the point in your career where you can look back and see some pretty big milestones. Large or small, what has been the most exciting thing for you so far?

Some of my greatest memories from the past year, beyond making ‘Zombieland’, are getting to watch it with an audience in theaters. Hearing the laughs from the audience was an incredible experience, particularly because as a commercial director, you don’t typically get to watch your stuff with people. It is usually just on TV or on internet. It was really exciting to get to hear the public feedback. The movie gets a lot of laughs, so it was really fun. Then, there are some of the people who I have had the opportunity to meet through the film’s recognition. I got to meet Ivan Reitman, John Landis and some other people that I really have been a big fan of, so getting to talk shop with them has been pretty neat.

It seems like your schedule is pretty full for 2010!

Yeah, it’s been great and I can’t complain. I am a lucky guy!

Thank you for your time, Ruben and I wish you all the best!

Thanks, man! I appreciate it.

- -

Be sure to check out everything that Ruben Fleischer’s has going on at his official website and Twitter account! Check out a teaser for his latest work for Funny or Die below:

SNL Presidential Summit

Ron Howard has assembled the former Saturday Night Live presidents for a new Funny Or Die video. The video stars Fred Armisen as Barack Obama, Will Ferrell as George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush, Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter and Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford. Jim Carrey appears as Ronald Reagan (as Phil Hartman who played Reagan on SNL was murdered in 1998). Maya Rudolph plays the role of List Lady Michelle Obama.

The video was directed by Ron Howard and made in association with Americans for Financial Reform, a pro-regulation coalition of labor and consumer activists.

Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”), Vivica A. Fox (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), and Morgan Fairchild (The Seduction) star in the new comedy from Broken Lizard, The Slammin’ Salmon, available on DVD and Blu-ray™ on Tuesday, April 13th from Anchor Bay Entertainment (Pre-Book March 11th). Broken Lizard is the irreverent moviemaking comedy group – comprised of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske – that created such cult hits as Super Troopers and Beerfest.

Directed by Kevin Heffernan, and released theatrically by Anchor Bay Films, The Slammin’ Salmon tells the story of a former heavyweight boxing champ turned restaurant owner (Duncan) who, indebted to the Japanese mob, challenges his waiters to sell more food in one night than they’ve ever sold before – or face a pummeling by the Champ! SRP is $29.98 for the DVD and $34.98 for the Blu-ray™ edition.

The Slammin’ Salmon – which Cinema Blend’s Joshua Tyler says is “easily the best work Broken Lizard has ever done” – also stars Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”), April Bowlby (“Drop Dead Diva,” “Two and a Half Men”), Sendhil Ramamurthy (“Heroes”), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), and Olivia Munn (G4 TV).

The Slammin’ Salmon DVD and Blu-ray™ bonus features include two audio commentary tracks – one with writer/director Kevin Heffernan and writer/actor Steve Lemme; the other with the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe – and the featurette “Hellish Kitchens: Art Imitates Restaurant Life.”

Seann William Scott

Director Kevin Smith has revealed that Seann William Scott would be playing the lead role of “Buddy” in his upcoming film Hit Somebody. The comedy is based on the Warren Zevon song of the same name with lyrics by Mitch Albom, the story tells of a hockey goon whose dream is to score just one goal.

Kevin Smith and Seann William Scott last worked together on Cop Out, where he starred alongside Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.

Check out a live version of Warren Zevon’s song “Hit Somebody” below:

Funny Or Die Presents

In what seems to be one of 2010’s best kept secrets, HBO is about to launch it’s new series “Funny or Die Presents.”

Executive produced by four of the celebrated masterminds behind the groundbreaking Funny or Die website – Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy – this half-hour, late-night sketch comedy series provides a creative forum for dozens of America’s most talented comedians, actors and writers. The series fuses off-the-wall scripted pieces with animated vignettes, music videos and faux commercials, with each episode introduced and wrapped by a decidedly unhip, white-haired spokesman named Ed Haligan.

Check out the trailer for the series below which features Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Zooey Deschanel, Don Cheadle, David Spade and Wayne Newton!

Don’t forget  to tune in to HBO on Friday, February 19th at midnight and a few more laughs on Funny or Die’s Youtube Channel located at www.youtube.com/funnyordie!

Universal Pictures has unveiled the first trailer and poster for Get Him to the Greek, which stars Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. The ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ spin-off was written and directed by Nicolas Stoller.

Check out the trailer in HD over at Apple.com!

Get Him to the Greek is slated to hit theaters on June 4th 2010.

Synopsis: Get Him to the Greek reunites Jonah Hill and Russell Brand with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller in the story of a record company executive with three days to drag an uncooperative rock legend to Hollywood for a comeback concert. The comedy is the latest film from producer Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People).

Aaron Green (Hill) gets things done. The ambitious 24-year-old has been given a career-making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s world famous Greek Theatre for the first-stop on a huge comeback tour. His record mogul boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs), gives him one warning: “The artist is the worst person on Earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.”

British rocker Aldous Snow (Brand) is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose-diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. Weary of “yes men” and scared he’s entered the “greatest hits” moment in his career, Snow’s in the midst of a nihilistic downward spiral. When he learns his true love, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), is in Los Angeles, Aldous makes it his quest to win her back…right before kick-starting his world domination.

As the countdown to the concert begins, one innocent young man must navigate a minefield of London drug smuggles, New York City brawls and Vegas lap dances to deliver his charge safe and, sort of, sound… all while trying to remain faithful to his med student girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss). He may have to coax, lie to, enable and party with Aldous, but Aaron will get him to the Greek.

Universal Pictures has released a new batch of stills for Get Him to the Greek, which stars Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Check them out below and weigh in with your thoughts.

The ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ spin-off was written and directed by Nicolas Stoller. Check out the trailer in HD over at Apple.com!

Get Him to the Greek is slated to hit theaters on June 4th 2010.

Synopsis: Get Him to the Greek reunites Jonah Hill and Russell Brand with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller in the story of a record company executive with three days to drag an uncooperative rock legend to Hollywood for a comeback concert. The comedy is the latest film from producer Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People).

Aaron Green (Hill) gets things done. The ambitious 24-year-old has been given a career-making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s world famous Greek Theatre for the first-stop on a huge comeback tour. His record mogul boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs), gives him one warning: “The artist is the worst person on Earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.”

British rocker Aldous Snow (Brand) is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose-diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. Weary of “yes men” and scared he’s entered the “greatest hits” moment in his career, Snow’s in the midst of a nihilistic downward spiral. When he learns his true love, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), is in Los Angeles, Aldous makes it his quest to win her back…right before kick-starting his world domination.

As the countdown to the concert begins, one innocent young man must navigate a minefield of London drug smuggles, New York City brawls and Vegas lap dances to deliver his charge safe and, sort of, sound… all while trying to remain faithful to his med student girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss). He may have to coax, lie to, enable and party with Aldous, but Aaron will get him to the Greek.

Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl

A new trailer for ‘Killers’ which stars Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl has made it’s debut on Yahoo! Movies. Check it out below and weigh in with your thoughts on the flick!

In addition to Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, the cast for the film includes Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Mull. ‘Killers’ is slated to hit theaters on June 4, 2010.

Synopsis: Spencer Aimes is just your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss.Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage… that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday. That’s when Spencer and Jen learn he’s the target of a multi-million dollar hit. Even worse, the hired killers have been stalking the happy couple for years, and could be anyone: friends, neighbors, the grocery store clerk, even that crabby old guy shuffling across the street. Now Spencer and Jen are on the run for their lives. As their suburban paradise turns into a paranoid game of dodge-the-bullet, they must find out who wants Spencer dead and why, all the while trying to save their marriage, manage his pain-in-the-ass in-laws, keep up neighborly appearances and just plain survive. And you thought suburban life was easy.