Heat Vision is bringing us two pieces of DC news today: first up, DC Entertainment will be making some significant announcements about their roster of superhero films - and other DC superhero projects currently in the works - sometime in the near future. Also, a voice cast has been tapped for the next upcoming DCE/Warner Premiere animated feature, All-Star Superman

Early in the year, the execs over DCE/Warner Bros. made it clear that DC superheroes are their top focus after Harry Potter wraps its box office run with the two-part Deathly Hallows film, which will debut in theaters this Fall and next Summer.

The Potter franchise has been a multi-billion-dollar cash cow for Warner Bros., and the hope is that DC and its stable of superheroes will be lucrative enough property (if Nolan's Batman series is any indication) to replace what will be lost when Potter is gone.

However, ever since we were promised new DCE/WB announcements at the beginning of 2010, the most we've actually heard from the studio has been strings of rumors peppered with the occasional minor bit of official info. Check a quick list of the DC Movie news we've gotten this year:

That's about all we have in the way of credible or even remotely likely DCE/WB news and 2010 is slowly rounding out. This latest update is that we'll soon be getting an official update, which kind of makes it an update on an update, whatever that means...

DC Entertainment Logo

The word came from Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer, who was speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference. After the topic of Harry Potter's impending retirement came up, Meyer said that while he's only looked after the DC properties in a "custodial way," it would soon be time for the studio to get "much more entrepreneurial."

The plan for the announcement is to release an "organizational announcement" next week, and then in months' time, release a spreadsheet detailing all the cross-media plans for how the superheroes will be sold to the masses. Apparently that means more than just feature films, leading to the inevitable questions about whether we'll soon be getting new DC-themed TV shows, animated shows, animated shorts, video games (or online series?) in the near future. Guess we'll find out in an even nearer future. Stay tuned.

For more info on Warner Bros.' post Harry Potter plans, head over to Heat Vision

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ALL-STAR SUPERMAN

The good folks over at DCE/Warner Premiere are unveiling their 10th animated feature, and this time it's going to be Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's Award-winning series, All-Star Superman.

The story is quite unique as far as Superman yarns go: While on a mission in the heart of the sun, Superman's cells become oversaturated with solar radiation (the source of his super powers) which in effect acts like terminal super-cancer for The Man of Steel.

Upon finding out that he's dying, Superman must choose how to spend his remaining days, so he sets out to complete what essentially is a "Superman bucket list." Highlights from the list (as explored in the comics) included giving Lois Lane Superman powers for a day, and prepping the world to defend itself in a post-Superman era.

all star superman animated

Heat Vision has the exclusive that actors James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Anthony LaPaglia will be voicing Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. The trio join Ed Asner (Up) and Francis Conroy (Six Feet Under) who will play Perry White and Ma Kent, respectively. Linda Cardellini (ER), Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy)  and Matthew Gray Gubler (500 Days of Summer) are also involved in the production.

Longtime DC Universe Guru Bruce Timm will be producing and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths writer Dwayne McDuffie and director Sam Liu will be onboard as well.

You can catch All-Star Superman on DVD/Blu-ray in Spring 2011. Until then, you can get your DC Animation fix with next week's release of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

Source: Heat Vision (link 1) (link 2)