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Disney has given us the character poster for Jay Baruchel's apprentice, Dave Stutler. Here's how the studio describes the young hero:

DAVE STUTLER "The Apprentice" (Jay Baruchel) is a nerdy NYU physics major, lacking confidence and poise, not very popular with girls or even his fellow students. At the age of 10, he experiences a frightening incident when he encounters sorcerer Balthazar Blake after wandering into the bizarre Arcana Cabana curio shop. He's given a dragon ring that comes to life on his finger, and he's told that he'll be a very important sorcerer himself. He then witnesses a furious battle between Balthazar and another sorcerer named Maxim Horvath which made him want to forget the whole matter...until both Balthazar and Horvath re-enter his life 10 years later, forcing him to confront a destiny he would very much like to ignore! "Dave is his own worst enemy, the architect of his own misery," says Baruchel. "He spends his life trying to live down that moment in the Arcana Cabana when he first encountered Balthazar and Horvath. He gravitates towards physics, which is the discipline he gives his life to. When he meets up with Balthazar again, the sorcerer tells Dave that it was no coincidence that he drifted towards physics because although illusion and magic are different, magic and science are the same thing."

Here's the character poster for the film's villain, Maxim Horvath (played by Alfred Molina.) 

"In The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Horvath's mission is world domination," says Molina.  "Balthazar and Horvath have a rivalry that's gone on for millennia.  Balthazar is maintaining the Merlinean standard of magic as a power that’s used for the benefit of mankind.  Horvath is the leader of the Morganians, who take the very different view that magic should be used to subjugate humans.  That's the struggle between good as personified by Nic Cage's character, and evil as personified by mine.  Horvath is a rather smart, debonair, Edwardian villain in the classic tradition of suave bad guys, well dressed and charming, but deadly."

A short promo entitled "Good vs. Evil" goes into the reasons for Balthazar and Horvath's fight and why the first sorcerer needs an apprentice to protect the world.

Also, the studio has advised us that the movie has shifted its release date two days ahead of schedule, to Wednesday July 14.

The first trailer for The Sorcerer's Apprentice has finally been released, first on Apple's trailer site and then across the breadth of the internet.

Disney has also provided us with three photos from the film (now added to the photo gallery) as well as this official premise for the movie:

"Balthazar Blake (NICOLAS CAGE) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (ALFRED MOLINA).  Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (JAY BARUCHEL), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness.  It'll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE. The screenplay is by Matt Lopez and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard from a screen story by Matt Lopez and Larry Konner & Mark Rosenthal."

Five photos showing our first look at Monica Bellucci's character from The Sorcerer's Apprentice have turned up at Spoiler TV. It's certainly a princess-y dress that she's wearing.

Monica Bellucci has now joined the cast. She will play the part of Veronica, a former flame to Nicolas Cage's magician and a sorceress in her own right.

Today while the second unit crew were filming a car chase scene involving two automobiles the driver of one of the cars lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a store front, injuring two pedestrians. The two injured people were treated by on-set first aid attendants for minor injuries and eventually released.

The car, a Ferrari, slammed into the storefront of an Italian restaurant. The stuntperson driving the car was uninjured.

The accident isn't expected to delay the production's schedule.

Toby Kebbell and Teresa Palmer are now in the cast of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Kebbel, who starred in RocknRolla as Johnny Quid, will play a celebrity illusionist recruited by Alfred Molina's evil magician. Palmer, who was recently seen in the Adam Sandler comedy Bedtime Stories, is Jay Baruchel's love interest. We've also added the character names for Kebbell and Molina's characters thanks to Variety's coverage of this story.

Composer Trevor Rabin continues his long association with Walt Disney Pictures by scoring the soundtrack for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Rabin also wrote the soundtrack for Jerry Bruckheimer's two National Treasure films.

That's a spy photo of Nicolas Cage in costume on the set of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Just Jared has ten photographs of Cage and co-star Jay Baruchel doing some scenes on location at a subway platform in New York City. Now we don't know if Cage's Sorcerer looks like a cross between a member of Motley Crue and Criss Angel for the whole show or he changes his look at some point...

Disney has pegged July 16, 2010 as the opening day for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. As of the moment the fantasy film will open up against Warner Bros. science fiction-thriller (and next from The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan) Inception.

Filming begins on The Sorcerer's Apprentice later this month. [Full story]