Shane Black

The dog days of summer were fast approaching. Most of the season's big movies, including "True Lies" and "Forrest Gump," were already out of the box. Within the next few weeks, the Hollywood exodus would begin. All the players would be high-tailing it to the Hamptons, the south of France or their hideaways in the Malibu Colony. But there was still a major piece of business yet to be done before the summer slowdown.

"Much Ado About Nothing" Available on VOD beginning Tuesday The degree to which viewers connect with Joss Whedon's modern-dress adaptation may depend on how familiar they are with Whedon's TV shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Dollhouse" and "Firefly" - some of the stars of which play out Shakespeare's tale of romantic confusion and deceit in Whedon's own sunny Southern California home. By and large, these actors aren't so great at reciting the Bard, with the notable exception of Amy Acker, who as the sharp-tongued anti-romantic Beatrice finds exactly the right balance between contemporary casualness and poetic classicism.

Batman's done it. Spider-Man too. Superman is about to try. As studios attempt to inject new life into overly familiar comic-book franchises, reboots - with changes in tone, directors and stars - are all the rage. But "Iron Man 3" proves there is more than one way to skin this particular cat. The story of "Iron Man 3" is a continuation of the previous two films, and its key cast is the same. But like a stunt driver taking over the wheel while the car is moving at 100 mph, new director (and co-writer)

Iron Man performed a superheroic feat at the box office this week, and now Superman and Wolverine may be trembling in their boots. The first of the summer superhero films to hit the multiplex, "Iron Man 3" on Thursday crossed the $1 billion milestone after 23 days at the global box office, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. becomes the 16th movie ever to join the elite $1 billion club -- six of which were released by Disney. PHOTO GALLERY: The Billion Dollar Box Office Club The Marvel Studios-produced film also passed an important mark domestically on Thursday, as its gross in the U.S. and Canada flew by $300 million.

IT'S AN ORDINARY NIGHT AT THE Pad O' Guys, the West Los Angeles bungalow where screenwriter Shane Black and a dozen or so buddies from his UCLA days hang out discussing the weighty topics of the day, such as how long it's been since any of them had sex. A picket sign from the Writers Guild strike two years ago decorates the wall and a promotional display from the movie "Flipper" and an assortment of toys and movie hype collect dust on the mantle. No Good Housekeeping seal of approval here.

Terry Black's screenwriting credits include "Dead Heat," a 1988 zombie movie starring Joe Piscopo and Treat Williams, and several episodes of HBO's "Tales From the Crypt." So it's somehow not surprising that the Costa Mesa writer and his fiancee, Elizabeth Monica Lockwood of Glendale, have chosen a Halloween motif for their wedding Sunday. They're tying the knot in the chapel at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana. "We like the cemetery," said Black, 43.

Early audience tracking told us that "Iron Man 3" was going to be a big hit. But until the numbers started floating through inboxes and Twitter feeds in the past week, it didn't hit home just how big that hit would be. With $175.3 million worth of tickets sold on its first U.S. weekend (the second-highest total in box-office history) and nearly $700 million worldwide in just 10 days of release, the Robert Downey Jr. film is an eye-popping success. The numbers more than validate Marvel Studios' decision to move ahead with a third Tony Stark film, and offer something of a rejoinder to director Jon Favreau, who decided against same.

Iron Man performed a superheroic feat at the box office this week, and now Superman and Wolverine may be trembling in their boots. The first of the summer superhero films to hit the multiplex, "Iron Man 3" on Thursday crossed the $1 billion milestone after 23 days at the global box office, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios. The film starring Robert Downey Jr. becomes the 16th movie ever to join the elite $1 billion club -- six of which were released by Disney. PHOTO GALLERY: The Billion Dollar Box Office Club The Marvel Studios-produced film also passed an important mark domestically on Thursday, as its gross in the U.S. and Canada flew by $300 million.

Don't look for Warner Bros.' now-filming "Lethal Weapon 2" to be too lethal: The script by Shane Black--who shot to industry notoriety at age 25 by penning the original--was rejected by the producers as too grim. Especially bumming: A climactic battle in which Mel Gibson's character, Martin Riggs, is killed! "I'm always infuriating producers by making people die," Black told us. "I seem to specialize in grim.

Paramount Pictures will be getting a payday for "Iron Man 3" -- a film released by its crosstown rival Disney. The Walt Disney Co.'s Robert Downey Jr. action sequel has already sold $794 million of tickets worldwide -- a massive success for the Burbank company. But Paramount, which had no involvement in the making of the Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie, could wind up receiving more than $100 million from the box office pie.  PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere The financial deal stems from an October 2010 agreement between Disney and Paramount, which had previously distributed Marvel movies, including the first two "Iron Man" pictures.

Paramount Pictures will be getting a payday for "Iron Man 3" -- a film released by its crosstown rival Disney. The Walt Disney Co.'s Robert Downey Jr. action sequel has already sold $794 million of tickets worldwide -- a massive success for the Burbank company. But Paramount, which had no involvement in the making of the Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie, could wind up receiving more than $100 million from the box office pie.  PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere The financial deal stems from an October 2010 agreement between Disney and Paramount, which had previously distributed Marvel movies, including the first two "Iron Man" pictures.

Early audience tracking told us that "Iron Man 3" was going to be a big hit. But until the numbers started floating through inboxes and Twitter feeds in the past week, it didn't hit home just how big that hit would be. With $175.3 million worth of tickets sold on its first U.S. weekend (the second-highest total in box-office history) and nearly $700 million worldwide in just 10 days of release, the Robert Downey Jr. film is an eye-popping success. The numbers more than validate Marvel Studios' decision to move ahead with a third Tony Stark film, and offer something of a rejoinder to director Jon Favreau, who decided against same.

"Iron Man 3" surpassed everything except "The Avengers. " The third Tony Stark movie from Disney's Marvel Studios enjoyed the second-best opening in box-office history, grossing an estimated $175.3 million in its debut weekend, Disney said Sunday. That debut could help start to reverse a very slow year in local theaters, where revenues and admissions are down about 12% from 2012. "Iron Man 3" appeared to benefit from strong family attendance and positive audience recommendations, collecting a CinemaScore of A. PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere "We're getting some great word of mouth," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president for worldwide sales and distribution.

After headlining two of his own movies and teaming up to save the world in "The Avengers," the billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero Iron Man is a known quantity. Anytime he shows up, audiences can rest assured that high-tech battle suits, scheming villains, big explosions and snappy banter are soon to follow. So it goes in his latest outing, "Iron Man 3," which finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) donning his famous armor to battle the terrorist mastermind the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)

Batman's done it. Spider-Man too. Superman is about to try. As studios attempt to inject new life into overly familiar comic-book franchises, reboots - with changes in tone, directors and stars - are all the rage. But "Iron Man 3" proves there is more than one way to skin this particular cat. The story of "Iron Man 3" is a continuation of the previous two films, and its key cast is the same. But like a stunt driver taking over the wheel while the car is moving at 100 mph, new director (and co-writer)

Given that "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is Shane Black's directorial debut after nearly 20 years as a screenwriter, it's not surprising that the film has the exuberant glee of a kid who's just been let out of detention. A little of this kind of glee, however, goes a longer way than you might expect. Black, the screenwriter best known for dreaming up the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, is someone who can't resist showing off, and that eventually becomes a problem.

After headlining two of his own movies and teaming up to save the world in "The Avengers," the billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero Iron Man is a known quantity. Anytime he shows up, audiences can rest assured that high-tech battle suits, scheming villains, big explosions and snappy banter are soon to follow. So it goes in his latest outing, "Iron Man 3," which finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) donning his famous armor to battle the terrorist mastermind the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)

"Iron Man 3" surpassed everything except "The Avengers. " The third Tony Stark movie from Disney's Marvel Studios enjoyed the second-best opening in box-office history, grossing an estimated $175.3 million in its debut weekend, Disney said Sunday. That debut could help start to reverse a very slow year in local theaters, where revenues and admissions are down about 12% from 2012. "Iron Man 3" appeared to benefit from strong family attendance and positive audience recommendations, collecting a CinemaScore of A. PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere "We're getting some great word of mouth," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president for worldwide sales and distribution.

THERE may come a time when Robert Downey Jr. can have a conversation about something other than his "comeback," but this isn't it. "Such a good actor," people have been saying for years, using a tone of wistful regret normally reserved for a fat girl with a pretty face. Now, watching as Downey nimbly carries the odd and shifting weight of Shane Black's upcoming comic-noir-thriller-romance, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," it is tempting to heave a sigh of relief and say, "He's back."

SHANE BLACK If Shane Black now looks out on an overheated, youth-obsessed screenwriting market where age 37 looks a little long in the tooth, he has partly himself to thank. After selling his "Lethal Weapon" script to Warner Bros.