Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Or at least that’s the name of the book (or one of the books) upon which HBO’s third World War II miniseries will be based.

The network has confirmed that the series is a go, and producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have acquired the rights to Donald L. Miller‘s book, which follows WWII’s Eighth Air Force, also called the Mighty Eighth.

Artist Jeff Victor has made my geeky, cinephiliac, infograph-loving heart happy with his series depicting the evolution of famous actors, among them Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, and Tom Hanks. And because every fanart series needs a little Batman (it’s a universal truth, just go with it), he’s included the Caped Crusader as well. Check ‘em out after the jump.

Benedict Cumberbatch will play all the iconic British characters! It’s just been announced that the Sherlock actor will star in a biopic of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who signed the band in 1961 before Beatlemania hit. The film’s being helmed by Sherlock director Paul McGuigan and co-produced by Tom Hanks through his Playtone production company.

In one of the most random and bizarre instances of celebrity appearances this year, the always lovely Tom Hanks went on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to perform slam poetry. But what would he slam about? Politics? His recent curse-slip on morning television? Promote his new film, Cloud Atlas? No, the 1980s/90s ABC family sitcom, Full House. Because, well, obviously.

(via Geek Tyrant)

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Ms. Poppins and her umbrella are getting some serious mileage, of late. Hot on the chimney-top stomping heels of a hit Broadway translation, the Walt Disney Co is putting semi-biopic Saving Mr. Banks onto the slate for next year. Yesterday marked the start of production on the 60s period piece, which will chronicle Walt Disney‘s 20-year odyssey to obtain the screen rights to P.L. Travers‘ books and character, focusing on the tension between the author and the company’s founder during the making of the classic film. In the author’s corner is the immeasurable Emma Thompson, and in Disney’s, none other than Tom Hanks. Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, and Jason Schwartzman round out the cast, though IMDB has no listing yet for who’s on deck to play Julie Andrews.

This looks like it will be a very long, winding road of a film. The trailer itself is almost six minutes long; if that’s proportional to how much time they expect us to sit in our seats and watch the feature-length version then we sure hope it’s interesting. It certainly looks epic. Cloud Atlas, based on the novel by David Mitchell, is being adapted by Andy and Lana Wachowski, and directed by Tom Dykwer. From the trailer it appears to be science fiction meets historical fiction, with several separate but interweaving story lines and quite a lot of time-jumping. It also features the dulcet tones of American Treasure Tom Hanks, and that’s always had a remarkably comforting effect on us.

(via Wired)

This Captain America cake (based on Avengers fan art by Adventure Time‘s Natasha Allegri, so how’s that for a geek pedigree) and other patriotic cakes by Nerd Ache Cakes. Try to eat that and not feel guilty. (via Pancake Pancake Pancake)

There may not be any crying in baseball but something tells me a few tears might be shed at Friday’s screening of the 1992 Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own. Why? Because veterans of the actual All American Girls Professional Baseball League will be in attendance and let’s face it, we cried during that movie and it wasn’t even about us.

Australian novelist, actress, and journalist, Pamela Lyndon Travers is best known for writing the classic novels starring Mary Poppins. Her work went on to become a major film from Walt Disney that was tremendously successful at the box office and went on to win five Academy Awards. Now, a undeveloped screenplay from last year about the author and her issues with the company during the making of the film may be making it’s way to theaters itself with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in starring roles. 

Two elements of this story are very interesting, indeed. The first part: Tom Hanks, under his production company Playtone, has created an animated science fiction series called Electric City. That’s fun enough all by itself, because if there’s anything we know about Tom Hanks, it’s that he creates great science fiction. We’re kidding. Actually, it’s the tiniest bit surprising, but in a good way! The other interesting part: it will make its debut exclusively on Yahoo!, the “internet portal,” marking the first venture of this kind. Which means Google is totally going to try to get George Clooney to do something with them, probably immediately.