Director Zack Snyder (300) will be in Vancouver this fall for Warner Bros., shooting Watchmen, the long-rumored adaptation of the 1980s graphic novel from DC Comics. Thought by many to be un-filmable, the 12-part book by Alan Moore (From Hell) follows a team of former superheroes living in a dystopian near-future America. It is tentatively set to start in September at Canadian Motion Picture Park, reaching theaters sometime in 2008. Casting is underway.

Darwin’s survival-of-the-fittest theory is gripping Canada’s post-production service sector.

The decline of the American dollar hasn’t prevented major studio pictures from using top-notch Canadian post-production shops for visual effects. Some of those shops have used proprietary software in addition to such Canadian-born staples as Autodesk Maya, Flame and 3ds Max, as well as eyeon Fusion to create eye-popping visuals for some of the most-anticipated movies on screens this summer.

The Canadian dollar is not going as far as it used to, but that hasn’t stopped L.A.-based compositing and visual effects boutique Gray Matter FX from opening an office in Vancouver.

At first glance it may seem that the success of Apple’s Final Cut Pro nonlinear editing software has prompted a return of Adobe’s own Premiere application to the Mac platform, after more than a six-year absence.

Atmosphere Visual Effects destroyed a futuristic New York City for the upcoming direct-to-DVD movie Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, based on the popular Babylon 5 TV series. The Vancouver VFX company blended real images of NYC along with its own CG creations to create a devastated cityscape for one of the movie’s key scenes. Atmosphere’s Andrew Karr was VFX supervisor. The DVD is due for release July 31 through Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

New doc series about hip-hop and activism from Haddock Entertainment includes big names from music and Hollywood, including Cameron Diaz, Mos Def and Charlize Theron

The big-budget sci-fi Sanctuary has been playing on the little screen for sci-fi fans and netheads since May, but will hit the big screen at this fall’s Vancouver International Digital Festival

Early numbers for the 52-game FIFA U-20 tournament are up to expectations, says network sports boss Scott Moore, and should build as the games progress

Honeydripper, the latest by indie darling John Sayles, will play at the Toronto festival alongside the directorial debuts of Helen Hunt and author David Auburn

Ottawa ceremony inducts EVP of Radio-Canada into France’s most exclusive club

Comweb boss says deal took shape following failed bid to build the Toronto megastudio, insists competition from Pinewood will be good for the market