Steven Soderbergh is among the lucky few who have seen some of James Cameron’s Avatar, and he recently shared his thoughts with ComingSoon.net. It’s no secret that there aren’t very many “benchmark” films these days, a la the days of The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jaws, etc., but the director does think that Cameron’s Avatar will most definitely be one of those benchmark films. “I’ve seen some stuff and holy shit. It’s the craziest shit ever,” he told ComingSoon.net, which sounds pretty much in line with what he told TotalFilm back in February: “I can tell you that shit was mindblowing. The shit I saw was crazy. Like, craaaazy. I think it’s gonna be gigantic. It’s gonna be another one of those benchmarks. There’s gonna be Before that movie and After.” With some of the best directors working today singing its praises, how can anyone not be excited for this movie?

Zhang Yimou is going back to feature film making, this time with a new project called Amazing Tales – Three Guns. No details on the plot yet, but the project is divided into two parts, one part a suspense thriller and the other a comedy. This is Zhang’s first feature project since 2006’s Curse of the Golden Flower, but his most recent work of note was the orchestration of the amazing Opening Ceremonies of 2008’s Beijing Olympics.

Noted playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard will be doing a rewrite of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. It sounds like the Empire of the Sun and Shakespeare In Love writer has been hired to do a production polish – that is, rework the dialogue, and not the actual story as the film is already in production.

Cinematical talks a little about the bumper – a mini-short/skit that screens before the movies – at Tribeca this year, called Flasher. It’s essentially self-promotion, and lots of fests (and TV networks) do it for their own content. Tribeca’s got a good one this year, and you can check it out below:

Tommy Wirkola, the co-writer/director behind the zombie Nazi horror comedy Dead Snow that was a hit at Sundance, has a new idea for a movie brewing: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The idea is that, 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread house incident, the plucky pair have grown up and now hunt witches for a living. The pitch was sold to Gary Sanchez Productions, headed by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, and the two behind Talladega Nights and Step Brothers will produce the movie.

Tags: Amazing Tales - Three Guns, Avatar, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, James Cameron, Robin Hood, Steven Soderbergh, Tom Stoppard, Tommy Wirkola, Tribeca, Zhang Yimou