One way or another, “The Avengers” is coming, even if some involved in the production are skeptical about successfully bringing Marvel’s hottest properties together in one film. But there’s one member of Marvel Studios that’s confident in the film’s prospects — Doug Finberg.
Finberg, the head of marketing for the comic book movie studio, revealed his thoughts on Marvel’s movie slate during the recent Saturn Awards ceremony. According to him, the essential ingredient involved in getting superhero team-up film “The Avengers” right is, ironically enough, teamwork.
“Having everybody on board and really being able to actually work as a team together and develop the Marvel cinematic universe is what’s most important to us,” Finberg said according to Sci Fi Wire.
Indeed, there are several production teams at play in the Marvel movieverse. Jon Favreau has steered the “Iron Man” ship for some years now, but he’s getting company from the likes of “Thor” director Kenneth Branagh and “The First Avenger: Captain America” helmer Joe Johnston. All three of these filmmakers will need to properly establish their characters in order to succeed with “The Avengers.”
So far, Marvel’s secret weapon could be identified as Samuel L. Jackson, who signed an astonishing nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios to continue his role as Nick Fury. The S.H.I.E.L.D. director has already made his way into both “Iron Man” and its sequel, and he’ll likely pop up in more Marvel films during the lead-up to “The Avengers.”
“Well, we have a multi-picture deal with him, so obviously we’re in business with him for a while to come, and we really enjoy working with Sam,” Finberg said.
But even Jackson’s continued presence might not be enough to create a successful Marvel movie. In that regard, Finberg said that the success of the film is on another group entirely: the fans.
“Ultimately, the final expectation, the final verdict, is with the fans," Finberg said, "and that’s something that the team of Marvel does a phenomenal job at, actually making the best movie from the material they can.”
"Iron Man 2" is due out May 7, 2010. "Thor" is next, on May 20, 2011. Then "Captain America" on July 22, 2011, and "The Avengers" on May 4, 2012.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Behind-the-Scenes of 'The Princess and the Frog'
Trailer Addict has posted a brand new behind-the-scenes featurette for "The Princess and the Frog." This video comes from, I think, the Disney Channel on TV and is one of those in-between segments where they promote their own movies.
Who really cares, it's a great little featurette that shows off some of the great animation done for this film. Check it out!
A fairy tale about a girl named Princess Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age, and a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
"The Princess and the Frog" is co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, whom previously brought us the Disney classics "Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and "Hercules."
"The Princess and the Frog" will debut on December 11.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
Who really cares, it's a great little featurette that shows off some of the great animation done for this film. Check it out!
A fairy tale about a girl named Princess Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age, and a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
"The Princess and the Frog" is co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, whom previously brought us the Disney classics "Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and "Hercules."
"The Princess and the Frog" will debut on December 11.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
This has nothing to do with the upcoming "Public Enemies" starring Christian Bale and Jonny Depp, but instead is a new animated film coming out later this year based off a popular graphic novel.
In "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies," Superman and Batman are framed by President Lex Luthor and must join forces to defeat a horde of bad guys (and some good guys) who are trying to bring them down.
Fan favorites Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown will all reprise their previous roles as the voices of Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor respectively. DC animation guru Bruce Timm will be involved with "Public Enemies" as well - although sadly director Lauren Montgomery ("Wonder Woman," "Green Lantern: First Flight") won’t be helming the film, as she is on a hiatus. Stepping into her shoes is Sam Liu, who recently directed the Marvel animated feature "Hulk vs. Thor." And, like "Green Lantern: First Flight," "Public Enemies" will boast a PG-13 rating, so older folks don’t miss out.
"Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" will be avialable for sale on September 29, 2009.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant
In "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies," Superman and Batman are framed by President Lex Luthor and must join forces to defeat a horde of bad guys (and some good guys) who are trying to bring them down.
Fan favorites Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown will all reprise their previous roles as the voices of Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor respectively. DC animation guru Bruce Timm will be involved with "Public Enemies" as well - although sadly director Lauren Montgomery ("Wonder Woman," "Green Lantern: First Flight") won’t be helming the film, as she is on a hiatus. Stepping into her shoes is Sam Liu, who recently directed the Marvel animated feature "Hulk vs. Thor." And, like "Green Lantern: First Flight," "Public Enemies" will boast a PG-13 rating, so older folks don’t miss out.
"Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" will be avialable for sale on September 29, 2009.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant
'Public Enemies' Cast Interviews
UGO Movie Blog had the chance to visit the set of the upcoming "Public Enemies" film and interview some of the key stars of the movie.
"Public Enemies" hits theaters July 1.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
"Public Enemies" hits theaters July 1.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Monday, June 29, 2009
'The Expendables' Script Review
Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming tough-guy action movie throwback film, "The Expendables," includes some the action genre’s most famous names, including Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts and Arnold Schwarzenegger (in a cameo appearance). There’s now even rumor that Bruce Willis will make an appearance in the film.Up until now everybody’s been aware of which actors would be in "The Expendables" - but what roles are they going to be playing? Who are the good guys and who are bad guys? Who will be facing off against who? Well, now we have a breakdown of who is who and what is what in the bullet-ridden world of "The Expendables."
The info comes our way courtesy of The Playlist, which snagged a copy of "The Expendables" shooting script and spilled the goods to us, the curious public. Most of what you’re about to read is just character synopsis, but for some it could be considered SPOILERS, so be wary.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
Plot: Barney Ross is the head of an international gang of mercenaries who call themselves The Expendables. They exist in the shadow where bureaucratic government agents dare not tread, and they never kill anyone who didn't have it coming. However, they may have bit off more than they can chew when they find themselves tasked with freeing island nation Vilena from the grasp of the evil General Garza.
Keepin' It Topical: "The Expendables" begins with a surprising pirate attack, the mandatory Big Action Opener. The villains, described as Somalians, take control of the ship, and even record events so they may be able to demand a ransom. But no pirate could have anticipated the Expendables! The team comes down hard on the scavengers, a little too hard in one Expendables' sake, and after an action-heavy confrontation, the Expendables vanish, one member less.
The Chain Of Villains: Early on, it appears that the Expendables are tasked with removing the unstable General Garza (David Zayas) from his position of power, as they are are granted a generous offer from a mysterious man named Church who's daughter has been killed by Garza's soldiers during a peacekeeping effort. Turns out, however, all wires are crossed- early on, we find out that Garza is somehow in league with renegade CIA agent Monroe (Eric Roberts), who has his own strongman assistant in aptly-named Paine (Steve Austin). But what's this? We also learn early on that Church is also involved with the CIA, and might be the big bad pulling the strings. Rumors peg Bruce Willis as Church, a role that requires about four brief scenes, which would be excellent casting considering the firepower on board this movie.
The Heroes
Barney Ross: Stallone doesn't write much about him, but his interactions with the other characters explain much without dialogue. Essentially, Ross is by far the oldest of the group, and as such is sort of a mentor to the others. he has individual scenes with each character, where they all end up revealing their insecurities to him through rambling, stop-start macho dialogue. Ross isn't interested in playing armchair psychiatrist, but rather smoothing out the bumps so that the mission could go smoothly.
Lee Christmas (Jason Statham): Second-in-command- takes it upon himself to bust every one's balls, which carries a nice, compensatory weight when we learn he's having terrible relationship problems with the his flaky lady love Lacy (Charisma Carpenter). He's also lethal with knives, and carries the most sour disposition of the group- expect scowling.
Bao Thao (Jet Li): A private sort, the Chinese martial artist uses his feet as often as his guns. He is the most lonely of the Expendables, and clearly doesn't seem to be friends with many of them. He takes quiet moments to speak about his displeasure with their jobs and how he wants a larger cut to sponsor his own charity.
Hale Caesar (Terry Crews): Probably the most comical role of the Expendables. Crewes won't entirely be left in the dark -- he gets to make a speech about how the government has misapplied themselves in worldwide politics, but he also gets to quip wise, and he's the one member of the group with the heaviest artillery.
Toll Road (Randy Couture)- A new character not in previous drafts, he's a slightly amended version of the "gay Expendable" that has now been excised from the script. He's designated muscle, but in his off-time, we get to see him feeding an addiction to crossword puzzles.
Gunnar Hansen (Dolph Lundgren)- Reportedly the role Jean Claude Van Damme was to play before he turned it down. Hansen is in the very first scene deliriously bloodthirsty and ready to take out all the pirates, but Kong puts him down, and he's expelled from the team for his drug use and wanton disrespect for authority. Needless to say, he shows up again, but he's not necessarily part of the main plot.
Levity: Most interestingly, though, are the moments with Tool, the ex-Expendable written into the new script for Mickey Rourke. Tool, now retired and owning a tattoo parlor the group meets at, is a mellow, philosophizing character who gets a number of juicy lines and provides a lot of male camaraderie in his brief scenes. He never goes into battle, but we see he still maintains his skills when he chucks a knife into a wall poster of, you guessed it, Jean Claude Van Damme.
Are you ready for some action?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant, The Playlist
From 'High School Musical' To Badass
Director Zack Snyder, the eye-popping filmmaker behind “300” and “Watchmen,” has hired Vanessa Hudgens to star in his next action flick, “Sucker Punch.” But how will she perform in the movie without having any action-hero experience? Was it just a matter of assuming the singing/dancing “High School Musical” star can do anything that’s physically demanding if she’s already twirled around a dance floor?“No, I didn’t even look at it that way at first,” Snyder explained. “She rehearsed, she did the audition for the scene. I wasn’t sure at first – [the casting people] were like ‘Oh, Vanessa’s coming’ and I was ‘Oh, okay - that sounds cool’ but I didn’t know what to think.”
“Then I saw the tape and I literally went ‘Wow, she’s good,’” Snyder recalled. “She’s really good. Then I talked to her about what she’d have to do.”
What Hudgens has to do is join co-stars Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung and Abbie Cornish in intense physical training. And then put her “HSM” past behind her as she kicks some ass, King Leonidas-style. The film is about a group of institutionalized young girls using their intense and often violent fantasies to escape.
“You’re going to see her shooting machine guns, fighting, beating the sh-t out of people,” Snyder revealed. “It’s funny - we sat her down for her physical evaluation, and she was really athletic. She’s a dancer, so all the choreography is gonna be fun for her.”
“It’ll allow her to stretch herself and do whatever she wants, and not be too exposed by the movie - but also, on the other hand, do things that people have never seen her do,” he added, saying that since Hudgens isn’t the film’s main star, she’ll have enough freedom to experiment a bit. “She has a big part, but she’s not the center of the movie.”
Shooting for “Sucker Punch” will start soon, with a 2011 release currently in Snyder’s sights.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source" MTV News
'Watchmen' Director's Cut
Zack Snyder stuck to his guns, bucked the fans when he needed to and created a dark, thought-provoking blockbuster unlike anything you’re likely to see out of Hollywood again for quite some time. Sadly "Watchmen" did not meet its expected earnings, but fans can still get the movie they enjoyed on DVD and Blu-ray soon.
Snyder gave MTV News a preview of the “Director’s Cut” Blu-Ray disc that hits theaters July 21 – and along with the Hollis Mason death scene that fans have longed to see, there’s some pretty awesome stuff on there.
“There’s a couple Rorschach scenes; it’s a little bit more violent overall,” Snyder said of the “Maximum Movie Mode” Blu-Ray disc, which even has a mode where the director walks onto the screen and explains certain scenes’ significance. “It’s a little gorier, a teeny bit gorier; like, when Veidt’s being assassinated, the secretary puts her hand out and she gets shot in the hand - and her fingers fly off.”
As for the other goodies inserted into Snyder’s 25-minute-longer Director’s Cut, “After Hollis dies, we cut to Dan and Rorschach and they go to Happy Harry’s to get some info on who’s trying to assassinate Veidt…at the end of that scene, in the theatrical version, it cuts [after they get some information]. In the longer version, Dan notices on the TV that there’s a report that Hollis has been murdered. He sees that, and then he sees a Knot Top in the bar, and he attacks him and beats the sh-t out of him, just like in the graphic novel. Then Rorschach pulls him off and says ‘not in front of the civilians!’”
“[Dan Dreiberg] is getting emotional, he’s knocking the guy’s teeth out of his mouth; it’s pretty gory,” Snyder promised of the scene that had to be cut from the theatrical release for length. “It’s the kind of thing where you get to see Dan lose it — which helps set up the end of the movie a little bit.”
“Everybody gets a little bit extra character from all that stuff,” Snyder said of the new cut. Make sure to reserve it because it hits shelves in less than a month.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News
Snyder gave MTV News a preview of the “Director’s Cut” Blu-Ray disc that hits theaters July 21 – and along with the Hollis Mason death scene that fans have longed to see, there’s some pretty awesome stuff on there.
“There’s a couple Rorschach scenes; it’s a little bit more violent overall,” Snyder said of the “Maximum Movie Mode” Blu-Ray disc, which even has a mode where the director walks onto the screen and explains certain scenes’ significance. “It’s a little gorier, a teeny bit gorier; like, when Veidt’s being assassinated, the secretary puts her hand out and she gets shot in the hand - and her fingers fly off.”
As for the other goodies inserted into Snyder’s 25-minute-longer Director’s Cut, “After Hollis dies, we cut to Dan and Rorschach and they go to Happy Harry’s to get some info on who’s trying to assassinate Veidt…at the end of that scene, in the theatrical version, it cuts [after they get some information]. In the longer version, Dan notices on the TV that there’s a report that Hollis has been murdered. He sees that, and then he sees a Knot Top in the bar, and he attacks him and beats the sh-t out of him, just like in the graphic novel. Then Rorschach pulls him off and says ‘not in front of the civilians!’”
“[Dan Dreiberg] is getting emotional, he’s knocking the guy’s teeth out of his mouth; it’s pretty gory,” Snyder promised of the scene that had to be cut from the theatrical release for length. “It’s the kind of thing where you get to see Dan lose it — which helps set up the end of the movie a little bit.”
“Everybody gets a little bit extra character from all that stuff,” Snyder said of the new cut. Make sure to reserve it because it hits shelves in less than a month.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News
Movies coming out this week!
Public Enemies - FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - When Sid gets into some trouble, it's up to Manny, Ellie, Diego, and Scrat to save their friend. Their mission leads them to an underground world where encounter dinosaurs, flora, and fauna -- as well as a one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.
Movies coming out on DVD!
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Two Lovers
12 Rounds
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Box Office Results for the weekend!
1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $112.0 M
2 The Proposal $18.4 M
3 The Hangover $17.2 M
4 Up $13.0 M
5 My Sister's Keeper $12.0 M
6 Year One $5.8 M
7 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 $5.4 M
8 Star Trek $3.6 M
9 Night at the Museum: Night at the Smithsonian $3.5 M
10 Away We Go $1.6 M
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has blasted itself off into money. During its first day it made $60.6 million, ranking second behind "The Dark Knight" Adjusted for ticket price inflation, though, "Revenge of the Fallen" would slot in fourth place, behind "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
"Revenge of the Fallen's" first day included an estimated $16 million from its midnight opening. Only "The Dark Knight" and "Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith" had bigger midnight debuts, pulling in $18.5 million and $16.5 million, respectively.
Over its two-day haul before the weekend it made $89.2 million and now over the weekend, its total domestic gross is at $201 million. Yeah, it is making money.
"The Proposal" dipped 45 percent this past weekend and "The Hangover" has made $213 million worldwide on a budget of $35. Very nice math.
"Up" has is now the top earner of 2009 (with "Star Trek" in a close second), but "Transformers" is only less than $100 million behind.
Next week can the kid factor take down "Transformers?"
Public Enemies - FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - When Sid gets into some trouble, it's up to Manny, Ellie, Diego, and Scrat to save their friend. Their mission leads them to an underground world where encounter dinosaurs, flora, and fauna -- as well as a one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.
Movies coming out on DVD!
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Two Lovers
12 Rounds
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Box Office Results for the weekend!
1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $112.0 M
2 The Proposal $18.4 M
3 The Hangover $17.2 M
4 Up $13.0 M
5 My Sister's Keeper $12.0 M
6 Year One $5.8 M
7 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 $5.4 M
8 Star Trek $3.6 M
9 Night at the Museum: Night at the Smithsonian $3.5 M
10 Away We Go $1.6 M
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has blasted itself off into money. During its first day it made $60.6 million, ranking second behind "The Dark Knight" Adjusted for ticket price inflation, though, "Revenge of the Fallen" would slot in fourth place, behind "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
"Revenge of the Fallen's" first day included an estimated $16 million from its midnight opening. Only "The Dark Knight" and "Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith" had bigger midnight debuts, pulling in $18.5 million and $16.5 million, respectively.
Over its two-day haul before the weekend it made $89.2 million and now over the weekend, its total domestic gross is at $201 million. Yeah, it is making money.
"The Proposal" dipped 45 percent this past weekend and "The Hangover" has made $213 million worldwide on a budget of $35. Very nice math.
"Up" has is now the top earner of 2009 (with "Star Trek" in a close second), but "Transformers" is only less than $100 million behind.
Next week can the kid factor take down "Transformers?"
'I Am Number Four'
Michael Bay may still be in the midst of wallowing in the success of the bombastic box-office blockbuster that is "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," but that doesn’t stop him from setting his eye on more projects. Dreamworks just recently bought the rights to a yet-to-be-published science fiction book entitled "I Am Number Four," co-written by James Frey. It is supposedly the first entry into a series of six volumes, and the adaptation is set for Bay to produce and possibly even direct.The rights to an adaptation of "I Am Number Four" were shopped around at various producers and studios until it caught the eye of Bay. He liked the concept so much that he took it to Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider at Dreamworks who, after collaborating with Bay on the two "Transformers" movies, jumped at the chance to team up with Bay once again. It is strongly expected that Spielberg, in particular, at Dreamworks will have a heavy involvement in "I Am Number Four" as he did with the Transformers movies (he has an exec producer credit on both).
The story of "I Am Number Four" that Bay liked so much is of a group of, “nine alien teens assimilating to high school on Earth after their planet is destroyed by an enemy species. The fourth of the group discovers that the enemy is now after him on Earth.”
James Frey is the mostly known for his memoir "A Million Little Pieces" that ended up having lots of fabrications in it Frey was later chewed out by Oprah on television. So now he is writing a six-part series about aliens assimilating on Earth and Bay wants to direct it? I think this is a path that doesn't need to be taken.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, The Hollywood Reporter
Guillermo del Toro Talks About The Hobbit
One of Hollywood's most creative and inspirational minds, Guillermo del Toro, sat down and talked with tourism reps from New Zealand about shooting "The Hobbit." He said production will start next year for a 2011 release with the 2nd film to follow in 2012.
He also talked about the great food in New Zealand and his love for milk. He also talked about his love for monsters and the crazy dreams he would have as a child. He also talked about the locations for "The Hobbit," his bestselling book The Strain and more.
It's a really good interview for fans of Guillermo. Check it out below.
(Latino Review)
He also talked about the great food in New Zealand and his love for milk. He also talked about his love for monsters and the crazy dreams he would have as a child. He also talked about the locations for "The Hobbit," his bestselling book The Strain and more.
It's a really good interview for fans of Guillermo. Check it out below.
(Latino Review)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Zack Snyder May Go PG-13
While at a Warner Bros. press release for the Blu-Ray release of the Watchmen Director's Cut, CHUD was able to discuss with director Zack Snyder about "Watchmen's" disappointing performance at the box office and what he will be doing with his next film, "Sucker Punch."
"Not to be snobby or anything, but I think the movie doesn't have the kind of... it asks a lot of the viewer," Snyder said. "It's not 'entertaining' in the classic sense of the word. That's just a fact. It's not an action film, it's not a comedy. Dramas are not hot right now, and no one wants to see a dramatic superhero movie. It's inherent in the material. I was kind of surprised by how excited everyone was getting at the time of release, because I always knew the movie was particular. I knew there were [only] certain people who would say 'This is awesome.
"We made $55 million on our opening weekend and everybody was like, 'Oh that's too bad.' And then 'Night at the Museum' made $58 million and everyone was like 'Hey, it's a box office bonanza!' I was like, 'Really? REALLY? A PG-13 movie about some kids in a frickin' museum and they make a few million more than us and that's awesome?' Maybe it's just sour grapes, but I felt like it was a little bit personal.
"It is R-rated and it's almost three hours long. There's no version of a three hour long R-rated movie about troubled superheroes that is a summer blockbuster. I don't see that happening."
Snyder went on to say how his next film might be toning down as to make more bang for its buck.
"If you can make 'Taken' PG-13, you can make this movie PG-13," he said. "That's what I believe. Because it's more fantastic. No one really dies in the movie."
He's got a point - there's plenty of violence in the "Lord of the Rings" films that would have gotten the films an R rating if it were humans being hewed to bits. "Return of the King" in particular seems to be right up on the edge of what's acceptable, and I imagine that edge is where Snyder will have in "Sucker Punch."
"I think 'Sucker Punch' is a smart movie," he said. "It absolutely is challenging, and it's f***ing hardcore. [A]t the end she gets... it's dark! But it's f***ing actiony like nobody's business. We hope the action we're creating is off the charts, and it's not stupid."
"Sucker Punch" is set to hit theaters on March 25, 2011 and the "Watchmen" DVD will hit shelves July 21.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: CHUD (1,2)
"Not to be snobby or anything, but I think the movie doesn't have the kind of... it asks a lot of the viewer," Snyder said. "It's not 'entertaining' in the classic sense of the word. That's just a fact. It's not an action film, it's not a comedy. Dramas are not hot right now, and no one wants to see a dramatic superhero movie. It's inherent in the material. I was kind of surprised by how excited everyone was getting at the time of release, because I always knew the movie was particular. I knew there were [only] certain people who would say 'This is awesome.
"We made $55 million on our opening weekend and everybody was like, 'Oh that's too bad.' And then 'Night at the Museum' made $58 million and everyone was like 'Hey, it's a box office bonanza!' I was like, 'Really? REALLY? A PG-13 movie about some kids in a frickin' museum and they make a few million more than us and that's awesome?' Maybe it's just sour grapes, but I felt like it was a little bit personal.
"It is R-rated and it's almost three hours long. There's no version of a three hour long R-rated movie about troubled superheroes that is a summer blockbuster. I don't see that happening."
Snyder went on to say how his next film might be toning down as to make more bang for its buck.
"If you can make 'Taken' PG-13, you can make this movie PG-13," he said. "That's what I believe. Because it's more fantastic. No one really dies in the movie."
He's got a point - there's plenty of violence in the "Lord of the Rings" films that would have gotten the films an R rating if it were humans being hewed to bits. "Return of the King" in particular seems to be right up on the edge of what's acceptable, and I imagine that edge is where Snyder will have in "Sucker Punch."
"I think 'Sucker Punch' is a smart movie," he said. "It absolutely is challenging, and it's f***ing hardcore. [A]t the end she gets... it's dark! But it's f***ing actiony like nobody's business. We hope the action we're creating is off the charts, and it's not stupid."
"Sucker Punch" is set to hit theaters on March 25, 2011 and the "Watchmen" DVD will hit shelves July 21.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: CHUD (1,2)
Friday, June 26, 2009
Questionable 'Bruno' Content
Steven Zeitchik over on the Risky Biz Blog confirms that Universal is cutting out a scene from "Bruno" that references Michael Jackson. The studio re-cut the film just hours before its Los Angeles premiere and they're considering removing it from all of the prints before it opens nationwide on July 10.
The scene depicts Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviewing an unsuspecting LaToya Jackson about a number of topics, including her brother.
Among the gags is a joke about the King of Pop's high-pitched voice, as well as an attempt to discover his contact info (Baron Cohen grabs LaToya's phone), as well as a reference to his trademark white glove, etc, all done in Baron Cohen's characteristically absurdest tone.
I see it as respectful to cut it for the day after his death, but the film comes out in a few weeks and audiences might not find it as shocking (since it seems to mostly gag LaToya and not Michael). We'll have to wait and see if they have to delay the film to cut the scene out of all prints or not.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Risky Biz Blog
The scene depicts Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviewing an unsuspecting LaToya Jackson about a number of topics, including her brother.
Among the gags is a joke about the King of Pop's high-pitched voice, as well as an attempt to discover his contact info (Baron Cohen grabs LaToya's phone), as well as a reference to his trademark white glove, etc, all done in Baron Cohen's characteristically absurdest tone.
I see it as respectful to cut it for the day after his death, but the film comes out in a few weeks and audiences might not find it as shocking (since it seems to mostly gag LaToya and not Michael). We'll have to wait and see if they have to delay the film to cut the scene out of all prints or not.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Risky Biz Blog
Movie News Mash 20
FAHRENHEIT 451
Screenwriter Frank Darabont has been trying to get his "Fahrenheit 451" movie made for years now. Its suffered numerous setbacks, including Tom Hanks dropping out last year, but he's determined to still get his vision of Ray Bradbury's novel to the big screen sooner than later. "I'm out to somebody at the moment, fingers crossed, because, boy, do I want to make that movie. I'm not giving up. I'll die in the traces before I don't make that movie," Darabont told SciFi Wire.
Darabont added that the actor "is of a clout that could get a medium-budget sci-fi film made," but if he doesn't get him, it could be the end of this project. "It's not one of those movies that are vastly expensive by any contemporary standard, but money is still money, and it's of a price that requires somebody that will justify that investment," Darabont said, adding that this will most likely have a bigger budget than "The Mist" (which cost roughly $18 million to make). As a reminder again, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 follows a fireman in the future who's job it is to burn books, but he begins to question his duties after meeting a young girl.
(First Showing)
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is playing the Cobra Commander in this summer's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," but he hasn't been shown in any of the trailers or TV spots for the film yet.
As hardcore G.I. Joe fans know, Cobra Commander wears an ominous hood because his face is disfigured. Fans have been waiting and wondering if we'll ever even get to see this "face" at all, but Gordon-Levitt promises we will.
Here's an excerpt from an interview Gordon-Levitt did with NY Mag talking about Cobra Commander:
"Yeah. My face is in it. There's this crazy kind of getup that I wear. It's got makeup and it's got all this other stuff, and it's a mask, basically. You can hardly tell it's me. And that, to me, is the best. That's why I love Daniel Day-Lewis or Gary Oldman. Actors like that, where they're so different as each character, the actor disappears. Doing 'G.I. Joe' made it real easy to disappear because of all the elaborate stuff on my face. And it demands a totally different kind of acting style. You sort of check your realism at the door."
"I was thinking of Slava's Snowshow the whole time [Gordon-Levitt is a producer for the avant-garde Russian clown show]. In Snowshow, they put on makeup; it's old-fashioned makeup, totally different, of course, than what we did in 'G.I. Joe,' but they put stuff on their face to create a character. Now, the guy who put stuff on my face, Kazuhiro Tsuji is his name, the protégé of Rick Baker — he's an artist, man! He's such an admirable artist, and to watch him do this work and have it be all on my face, it's just so fun. And then I get to play with that and create a performance out of that, instead of my own face. It's so much fun for someone like me who gets off on different acting styles, playing with the craft. That's what 'G.I. Joe' is about for me."
(First Showing)
UNCHARTED: DRAKE'S FORTUNE
Adding to the already extensive list of video game adaptations is "Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune," an action-adventure game from back in 2007. Columbia Pictures are developing the game for the big-screen, with Kyle Ward hired to write the script. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad and Alex Gartner.
The story follows a descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake, a treasure hunter named Nate Drake who believes he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled South American golden city, from a cursed golden statue. The search becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray, then is knocked up several notches when creatures -- actually mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis -- begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure's true secrets.
The Sony Computer Entertainment game sold one million copies in its first ten weeks of release alone.
What’s interesting to note is Ward, the guy who’s been hired to write the script for "Uncharted," also wrote the upcoming video game adaptation "Kane & Lynch" (set to star Bruce Willis), and was just recently announced as the writer of "Hitman 2." So either Ward is a great writer who will finally give us some truly quality video game adaptations, or he’s just being hired repeatedly because he now has experience with video game movies. Hopefully the former.
(Screen Rant)
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Screenwriter Frank Darabont has been trying to get his "Fahrenheit 451" movie made for years now. Its suffered numerous setbacks, including Tom Hanks dropping out last year, but he's determined to still get his vision of Ray Bradbury's novel to the big screen sooner than later. "I'm out to somebody at the moment, fingers crossed, because, boy, do I want to make that movie. I'm not giving up. I'll die in the traces before I don't make that movie," Darabont told SciFi Wire.
Darabont added that the actor "is of a clout that could get a medium-budget sci-fi film made," but if he doesn't get him, it could be the end of this project. "It's not one of those movies that are vastly expensive by any contemporary standard, but money is still money, and it's of a price that requires somebody that will justify that investment," Darabont said, adding that this will most likely have a bigger budget than "The Mist" (which cost roughly $18 million to make). As a reminder again, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 follows a fireman in the future who's job it is to burn books, but he begins to question his duties after meeting a young girl.
(First Showing)
G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is playing the Cobra Commander in this summer's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," but he hasn't been shown in any of the trailers or TV spots for the film yet.
As hardcore G.I. Joe fans know, Cobra Commander wears an ominous hood because his face is disfigured. Fans have been waiting and wondering if we'll ever even get to see this "face" at all, but Gordon-Levitt promises we will.
Here's an excerpt from an interview Gordon-Levitt did with NY Mag talking about Cobra Commander:
"Yeah. My face is in it. There's this crazy kind of getup that I wear. It's got makeup and it's got all this other stuff, and it's a mask, basically. You can hardly tell it's me. And that, to me, is the best. That's why I love Daniel Day-Lewis or Gary Oldman. Actors like that, where they're so different as each character, the actor disappears. Doing 'G.I. Joe' made it real easy to disappear because of all the elaborate stuff on my face. And it demands a totally different kind of acting style. You sort of check your realism at the door."
"I was thinking of Slava's Snowshow the whole time [Gordon-Levitt is a producer for the avant-garde Russian clown show]. In Snowshow, they put on makeup; it's old-fashioned makeup, totally different, of course, than what we did in 'G.I. Joe,' but they put stuff on their face to create a character. Now, the guy who put stuff on my face, Kazuhiro Tsuji is his name, the protégé of Rick Baker — he's an artist, man! He's such an admirable artist, and to watch him do this work and have it be all on my face, it's just so fun. And then I get to play with that and create a performance out of that, instead of my own face. It's so much fun for someone like me who gets off on different acting styles, playing with the craft. That's what 'G.I. Joe' is about for me."
(First Showing)
UNCHARTED: DRAKE'S FORTUNE
Adding to the already extensive list of video game adaptations is "Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune," an action-adventure game from back in 2007. Columbia Pictures are developing the game for the big-screen, with Kyle Ward hired to write the script. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad and Alex Gartner.
The story follows a descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake, a treasure hunter named Nate Drake who believes he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled South American golden city, from a cursed golden statue. The search becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray, then is knocked up several notches when creatures -- actually mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis -- begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure's true secrets.
The Sony Computer Entertainment game sold one million copies in its first ten weeks of release alone.
What’s interesting to note is Ward, the guy who’s been hired to write the script for "Uncharted," also wrote the upcoming video game adaptation "Kane & Lynch" (set to star Bruce Willis), and was just recently announced as the writer of "Hitman 2." So either Ward is a great writer who will finally give us some truly quality video game adaptations, or he’s just being hired repeatedly because he now has experience with video game movies. Hopefully the former.
(Screen Rant)
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
'Cowboy Bebop' Movie Will Stay True to the Anime
Following initial reports that Fox had acquired the rights to the anime "Cowboy Bebop" for a live-action release starring Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel, little news has come out about the space western for some time. Screenwriter Peter Craig broke silence this week in an interview with Anime Vice.
Craig reassured fans and explained the movie will be faithful to the source material. His latest “Bebop” script is nearly complete and better than ever thanks to his anime immersion.
Craig admitted his “Bebop” background had humble beginnings as a casual viewer of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program block, but he’s now a full-fledged fan, having watched and re-watched the entire original Japanese anime with Otaku-level admiration.
“Every character was new and interesting, and I felt like I was looking at an encyclopedia of some imaginary world,” Craig said of his first impression of the series.
After meeting with the anime producers of “Bebop” alongside Keanu Reeves at Sunrise Inc. in December, Craig went home with a highly detailed letter, which he said he’s referenced closely as he put the finishing touches on his latest script.
“I’m close to finishing an early draft, and I believe [Sunrise will] be very happy with it,” Craig said, “Not only does the script stay extremely true to the show — I also know that [producer Erwin Stoff] and Fox are already discussing production designers that can reproduce the ‘look’ of ‘Cowboy Bebop’ as closely as possible. They’ll be reading the script soon… so my fingers are crossed.”
Although “Bebop” seems to be moving forward, a lot still has to happen for the film to manifest. But if the involvement of the original anime production team, Keanu’s kung fu skills and Craig’s devotion to the series’ source material are any indication, fans have plenty of reason to cross their fingers with Craig in the meantime.
Hopefully more news will come out soon on more casting and possible directors.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News
Craig reassured fans and explained the movie will be faithful to the source material. His latest “Bebop” script is nearly complete and better than ever thanks to his anime immersion.
Craig admitted his “Bebop” background had humble beginnings as a casual viewer of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program block, but he’s now a full-fledged fan, having watched and re-watched the entire original Japanese anime with Otaku-level admiration.
“Every character was new and interesting, and I felt like I was looking at an encyclopedia of some imaginary world,” Craig said of his first impression of the series.
After meeting with the anime producers of “Bebop” alongside Keanu Reeves at Sunrise Inc. in December, Craig went home with a highly detailed letter, which he said he’s referenced closely as he put the finishing touches on his latest script.
“I’m close to finishing an early draft, and I believe [Sunrise will] be very happy with it,” Craig said, “Not only does the script stay extremely true to the show — I also know that [producer Erwin Stoff] and Fox are already discussing production designers that can reproduce the ‘look’ of ‘Cowboy Bebop’ as closely as possible. They’ll be reading the script soon… so my fingers are crossed.”
Although “Bebop” seems to be moving forward, a lot still has to happen for the film to manifest. But if the involvement of the original anime production team, Keanu’s kung fu skills and Craig’s devotion to the series’ source material are any indication, fans have plenty of reason to cross their fingers with Craig in the meantime.
Hopefully more news will come out soon on more casting and possible directors.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Weinstein Company Not Cutting 'Inglourious Basterds'
You may remember a couple of weeks ago about news that the Weinstein Company wanted Quentin Tarantino to cut a whopping 40 minutes from his upcoming WWII flick, "Inglourious Basterds." The news, which came from The Wrap, said that the 2 hour 40 minute length that "Basterds" was originally supposed to be was being considered, “too long, especially for American audiences.”Well, in an interview with GQ, Harvey Weinstein has said that the news of cutting 40 minutes out of "Inglourious Basterds" is false.
“Those stories are all untrue. There’s no fu**ing way. Here, read my lips: That is nuts. Please don’t even write that, it’s insanity. There’s not even a question of that. Whatever you’re reading, it’s like some insane blogger… There’s no truth to any of this. He’s not gonna cut. What he’s doing is just reorganizing some scenes. I mean, the guy had six weeks to cut his movie [for Cannes]; most guys take six months. Most guys take a year.
When I worked with Martin [Scorsese], we’d do eighteen months in post-production. Quentin Tarantino cuts a movie in six weeks? Come on, there’s sh** on that cutting-room floor that’ll blow your brains out. I was telling Quentin the opposite-”You should put that sh** back in the movie.” There’s scenes with Brad Pitt and the Basterds, and I’m praying he puts that sh** back in, ‘cause it’s un-fu**ing-believably great. Listen-this movie will be between two hours and twenty minutes and two hours and twenty-seven minutes. I don’t think it’s going to be shorter-it’s just a question of rearranging. I know he’s putting footage back into the movie. I know he’s got some cool sh** that he didn’t get time to address.”
Wow. You have to love Harvey Weinstein. He has a way of putting words together that sound both good and bad at the same time. The guy doesn't take sh*t from anyone and it looks like he was more than happy to say that those "insane bloggers" were full of sh*t with that rumor.
But indeed this is good news as I was hoping to see the full movie when it comes out August 21.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing, The Wrap, GQ
'300' Sequel Details Revealed
With a budget of just $65 million and a worldwide gross of $456 million, the huge profit made by "300" was always going to suggest a sequel.Anyone who's seen the 2007 film - which used green-screen technology to digitally add all the backgrounds - will be aware that it doesn't leave anything open for a direct continuation with the same characters.
So what do they have in mind for the follow-up?
Director Zack Snyder had earlier revealed the planned sequel would take place in the year between the first movie's climactic Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea, which narrator Dilios is at while relating the events of the film.
The movie, starring Gerard Butler as king Leonidas, was based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller giving a more fantastical retelling of the historical battle.
And in a new interview Snyder has now confirmed that Miller is creating a new graphic novel on which the second film will be based.
He told Superhero Hype: "I know for a fact that Frank [Miller] is writing right now. [He's] drawing away and seems to be knee-deep in it. I think he's going to head back to Greece again and do another reconnaissance."
He added: "I think we would use the same technology... I don't want it to look too Star Wars-ian... Just from what [Miller] told me, it would be bigger as far as landscape and terrain. We're going to see Athens and the Aegean and other places.
"There would be an opportunity for bigger visions, though I'd hope for the same aesthetic. The tech we used for 300 was not a revolution. It's basically what the weatherman has. Look, instead of Accuweather it's Sparta... It's going to be the same way, but on crazier steroids."
Do you think "300" should end where it is now or that a sequel will do justice to the original?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files, Superhero Hype
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
'Avengers' Writer Opens Up About the Hero Blockbuster
Zack Penn has been attached as the screenwriter of Marvel's "Avengers" movie for a long time, and now that it's slated for 2012, he's starting to work on it (again).“It’s hard to make a good movie,” the screenwriter told a crowd gathered at a Los Angeles Film Festival panel last night, according to Sci Fi Wire. “We all have the best intentions, and it still might suck.”
That won’t stop Penn from trying. Having already written mutant mash-ups in “X2: X-Men United” and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” Penn is no stranger to juggling a multitude of superheroes. Believe it or not, he actually wanted to include more comic book characters in those films, as Penn said that he’d planned to incorporate the "Fantastic Four" into the X-Men movies. Unfortunately, Fox didn't agree with the screenwriter. Marvel is going with a more open-minded approach to their movies though.
“[Marvel wants] to see that they’re all connected, not like the Fantastic Four can’t come into the X-Men world, like I was told [by Fox],” Penn said.
“I’m taking a meeting next week with the ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’ people, and we are all going to get together, and I will see what is going to happen,” he said. “I’ll see where they are leaving the characters; it’s pretty complicated.”
Even if “The Avengers” doesn’t work out quite as well as he’d hope, Penn suggested that the film is — at the very least — in the right hands. He praised Marvel’s work as a studio thus far, pointing to their first-hand knowledge of the source material as the reason for their success.
“Marvel is autonomous now,” Penn said. “It is night and day: Everyone has read every comic. They know how to make a cool movie.”
With the massive amount of collaboration being done in Marvel Studios to create this new film canon for the heroes, I'm sure the films will all tie into each other and have a great start in the "Avengers" movie (possibly only the first of many).
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News, First Showing
'Avatar' Is Coming...
After years of waiting, the first footage from James Cameron's "Avatar" was screened to public for the very first time in Amsterdam as part of the Cinema Expo International. These are some of the thoughts from members of the audience who saw the footage from UCSNord: "Footage from Avatar at #cinexpo was stunning, literally jawdropping. Amazing visuals unlike any before seen, with incredible detail." "CGI was photorealistic, characters look really real. Believe the hype, this movie will be massive!" James Cameron himself was there to present the footage along with his actors Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang. "Three years ago, I stood up here and said the 3-D renaissance is coming," Cameron said. "And from what we've seen in the business, we can now say it has arrived."
In introducing the 24-minute assemblage, Cameron said much of it came from the first third of the film but that there were also glimpses from unfinished portions of later battle scenes involving warring sides clashing over control of the fantasy world Pandora.
The filmmaker also said the action gets nonstop in the latter portions of the film, which throughout is populated by strange life-forms in a world of unprecedentedly rich fantasy elements. Worthington plays an avatar -- a remote-controlled character created by melding his crippled human form into a super-human being -- whose fate lies ultimately in doing battle with his own former race.
Fox made media covering the event agree not to report details of the "Avatar" images or to interview audience members for reactions. But from the sustained applause at the conclusion of the presentation, suffice to say Fox didn't hurt itself at the event.
"Avatar" is set to open around the world on Dec. 18, though it's become sport in Hollywood to speculate on whether the famously painstaking filmmaker will wrap the production in time. Cameron's high-profile promo appearance should go a long way toward soothing any anxieties.
Even more news on this event comes from MarketSaw: "What is most important about this movie: Everything lives and breathes. The tree in the scene with the sacred seeds glowed. Not the bast, but the tree underneath glowed like a living thing. Jake encounters plants which look like a kid's slide which shrink when he touches them. Little fireflies and birds fly through the shots without being there. You just take them as the world, like a dove in Central Park. It's not placed there, it lives there and just happens to be in the shot."
How big is the hype for this movie? It is huge.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, First Showing
Expect More Best Picture Nominations Next Year
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just announced the Oscars this year will be bumping their Best Picture nominees from five to ten beginning with the upcoming 2010 Oscars President Sid Ganis announced today at a press conference in Beverly Hills.“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said Ganis. “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”
"Having 10 best picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize," Ganis said.
It's now being called 10 in 2010. Some are claiming that this decision was made under pressure from the studios, as it allows them to feature more great movies and include more advertising at the Oscars. Others are saying this will now water down the Oscars, since a nomination "used to be" a prestigious recognition.
The move is an obvious response to the recent discussion concerning "The Dark Knight’s" absence from the nominees for more art house style films such as "The Reader" and I would expect we can now look at Up as a serious contender for a Best Picture nominee when previous Pixar favorites "Ratatouille" and "WALL-E" were left in the cold.
This is interesting news indeed! More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Rope of Silicon
Jonny Depp And All His Disney Movies
During the press conferences for upcoming crime drama "Public Enemies," Johnny Depp has also been asked about his other film projects including "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Lone Ranger."
In "Alice in Wonderland," he plays The Mad Hatter; in "The Lone Ranger" he is set to play Tonto; and in "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," he will of course reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
So what did Depp say about all these?
According to Latino Review, here's what the actor had to say on each of those projects.
On Pirates of the Caribbean 4:
"Call me a glutton. Honestly, if we can get the screenplay right to Pirates 4, because obviously virtually no cinema is perfect. Pirates 1 had its own thing, Pirates 2 and 3 had their own thing and you know it got a little confusing here and there in the story. Not that I've seen the movies, but I hear tales.
"I think for me, because I love the character so much, and I enjoy playing the character so much and people seem to like him, that if there's an opportunity to try again, it's like going up to bat. You wanna get back out there and try and try and I enjoy playing the character of Jack very much.
On The Lone Ranger:
"I think we're still in the sort of super beginning stages so there's all kinds of possibilities, but I feel like I have some good ideas for the character that I don't think have been done all that much before."
And on playing The Mad Hatter:
"Well, the Hatter was awfully fun, you know? After doing something like John Dillinger [in Public Enemies], it evolves where it's so overstrained because of the responsibility you have to that guy, that the Mad Hatter was like being fired out of a cannon.
"The Hatter was great fun, and it's one of things where you're just amazed you weren't fired, you know? All I've seen is bits and pieces but what I imagined it to look like is is how I feel I thought he should look, which is the first reason I was surprised I didn't get fired."
"Public Enemies" comes out July 1 and "Alice in Wonderland" March 5 next year.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
In "Alice in Wonderland," he plays The Mad Hatter; in "The Lone Ranger" he is set to play Tonto; and in "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," he will of course reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
So what did Depp say about all these?
According to Latino Review, here's what the actor had to say on each of those projects.
On Pirates of the Caribbean 4:
"Call me a glutton. Honestly, if we can get the screenplay right to Pirates 4, because obviously virtually no cinema is perfect. Pirates 1 had its own thing, Pirates 2 and 3 had their own thing and you know it got a little confusing here and there in the story. Not that I've seen the movies, but I hear tales.
"I think for me, because I love the character so much, and I enjoy playing the character so much and people seem to like him, that if there's an opportunity to try again, it's like going up to bat. You wanna get back out there and try and try and I enjoy playing the character of Jack very much.
On The Lone Ranger:
"I think we're still in the sort of super beginning stages so there's all kinds of possibilities, but I feel like I have some good ideas for the character that I don't think have been done all that much before."
And on playing The Mad Hatter:
"Well, the Hatter was awfully fun, you know? After doing something like John Dillinger [in Public Enemies], it evolves where it's so overstrained because of the responsibility you have to that guy, that the Mad Hatter was like being fired out of a cannon.
"The Hatter was great fun, and it's one of things where you're just amazed you weren't fired, you know? All I've seen is bits and pieces but what I imagined it to look like is is how I feel I thought he should look, which is the first reason I was surprised I didn't get fired."
"Public Enemies" comes out July 1 and "Alice in Wonderland" March 5 next year.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
Ready for 'Hitman 2'?
IESB has confirmed today that 20th Century Fox is looking to continue the big screen "Hitman" franchise that started in 2007 with a movie directed by Xavier Gens. Kyle Ward, of the upcoming "Kane & Lynch" movie as well as the upcoming "Fiasco Heights," has been hired to write the script. Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return as producers, but no word yet on whether Timothy Olyphant, who played Agent 47, will be back as well."Hitman" is based off a popular video game franchise (that I myself am very partial too), but the film was more action than stealth and was mediocre. The film made only $40 million in box office and I see of no reason of making a sequel (or is this a reboot?).
My suggestion would be to make Agent 47 a hidden character and focus on a detective trying to catch 47. The film will follow all the exploits of the detective and will show the awesome stealth of 47. No one wants to watch a movie of a guy creeping behind bushes to knock a person out and then steal his outfit. Skip those parts and show the surprise of the stealth attacks.
My opinion...
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
Level 5 Alert - Non-Humans Have Escaped District 9!
Level 5 Alert! Stay in your homes and secure all doors and windows! District 9 residents are violent and unpredictable! An intense new viral video for "District 9" has popped up on YouTube today. It sounds like things are going crazy in Johannesburg, because these alerts are showing up all over. As far as I can tell, this video is from the website D-9.com and plays instead of the normal introductory video when you visit. Check out the Web site to see more footage and delve deeper into the world of "District 9."
"Disttrict 9" hits theaters August 11.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
"Disttrict 9" hits theaters August 11.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
'Harry Potter' Cliffhanger
Director David Yates has promised fans a nail-biting cliffhanger between the two parts of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" - and he revealed he knows just where the story will be divided.
Yates said he believes splitting the final Harry Potter book into two movies was the right creative decision.
He said it had been too difficult to cram "Deathly Hallows" into one movie, although skeptics have speculated that it was simply a Warner Bros marketing decision to boost the box ofice earnings from the climactic storyline of J.K. Rowling's blockbuster series.
The British film-maker said the decision would be beneficial for fans in making sure as much of the book as possible made it on to the screen.
He told the LA Times: "I will get the benefit of two budgets, the running time of two films and all the resources that brings with it to tell this huge adventure; more time, more money, more special effects.
"There are always things that are lost when you adapt a book to a film. With two films, much less will be lost."
He also revealed they had decided where the first "Deathly Hallows" film would end and the second one would begin.
Asked if they had determined the exact dividing point, he said: "Yes, we have. Things can change when you edit, of course. We've had three or four different ideas about where to cut off the seventh film.
"Traditionally, the movies have ended with a death or a bereavement, some sort of passage or arrival. This time we think we will end with more a cliffhanger. Again, though, that's the thought as of this moment."
He added that he had been very disappointed with the delay in the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which had been scheduled for release last November but will now come out next month.
"I know fans are eager to see it and it's been interesting for us to come back to it now, even as we are busy filming the next installments."
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is released on July 15. Part one of the film of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" comes out on November 19, 2010, and part two on July 15, 2011.
Yates also directed the film of the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
Yates said he believes splitting the final Harry Potter book into two movies was the right creative decision.
He said it had been too difficult to cram "Deathly Hallows" into one movie, although skeptics have speculated that it was simply a Warner Bros marketing decision to boost the box ofice earnings from the climactic storyline of J.K. Rowling's blockbuster series.
The British film-maker said the decision would be beneficial for fans in making sure as much of the book as possible made it on to the screen.
He told the LA Times: "I will get the benefit of two budgets, the running time of two films and all the resources that brings with it to tell this huge adventure; more time, more money, more special effects.
"There are always things that are lost when you adapt a book to a film. With two films, much less will be lost."
He also revealed they had decided where the first "Deathly Hallows" film would end and the second one would begin.
Asked if they had determined the exact dividing point, he said: "Yes, we have. Things can change when you edit, of course. We've had three or four different ideas about where to cut off the seventh film.
"Traditionally, the movies have ended with a death or a bereavement, some sort of passage or arrival. This time we think we will end with more a cliffhanger. Again, though, that's the thought as of this moment."
He added that he had been very disappointed with the delay in the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which had been scheduled for release last November but will now come out next month.
"I know fans are eager to see it and it's been interesting for us to come back to it now, even as we are busy filming the next installments."
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is released on July 15. Part one of the film of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" comes out on November 19, 2010, and part two on July 15, 2011.
Yates also directed the film of the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
'Last Airbender' Teaser Trailer
Sometimes trailers are so good that words cannot describe them. Being an avid fan of Nickelodeon's popular animated television show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," I am extremely excited to watch this teaser trailer for the movie based on the show.
"The Last Airbender" is directed by M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," "Signs") The screenplay was written by M. Night Shyamalan while the story was co-written by Shyamalan and creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.
Paramount is bringing "The Last Airbender" to theaters everywhere on July 2, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
"The Last Airbender" is directed by M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," "Signs") The screenplay was written by M. Night Shyamalan while the story was co-written by Shyamalan and creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.
Paramount is bringing "The Last Airbender" to theaters everywhere on July 2, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Monday, June 22, 2009
First Look at 'Alice in Wonderland'
USA Today has gotten their hands on an impressive array of concept art and character images from Tim Burton’s upcoming Disney feature "Alice in Wonderland." The above photo shows Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. All three photos can be seen in much larger versions over at USA Today. Below are different concept art pictures for the film.
"It has been Burton-ized" is how producer Richard Zanuck describes the director's vision of the Lewis Carroll classic. After shooting for only 40 days, they're working on adding CG animation and motion-capture creatures.
"The rabbit is convinced he has the right Alice," Zanuck says about the scene below. "He has been looking for her for years." Michael Sheen plays the White Rabbit.
A scene where Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, greets talking rose blossoms at the entrance to what seems to be a forest of giant mushrooms. "But as in the book, her size shrinks and grows throughout her journey."
Egg-shaped Tweedledee and Tweedledum, who are created through motion-capture technology, are among the first characters to greet Alice. They take her to meet the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). The twins are played by popular British comic Matt Lucas, best known for the TV series Little Britain.
Interestingly, this is somewhat of a sequel to Disney's animated movie from 1951. "Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn't remember." As for Wasikowska, who plays Alice, Burton says "she just had that certain kind of emotional toughness, standing her ground in a way that makes her kind of an older person with a younger person's mentality." Zanuck also adds: "There is something real, honest and sincere about her."Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" is scheduled to hit theaters on March 5, 2010 in both Disney Digital 3D as well as regular 2D.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Rope of Silicon, First Showing
Christian Bale Says 'Batman 3' May Not Happen
MTV News spoke to actor Christian Bale on the set of his new movie "Public Enemies" about the possibility of a third Batman that would continue the legacy of "The Dark Knight." MTV News also spoke about the rumors of director Chris Nolan not returning to the franchise.
Sadly, the news isn't good.
What are your thoughts on not seeing another Batman?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sadly, the news isn't good.
What are your thoughts on not seeing another Batman?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Will 'Preacher' Get Delayed?
"American Beauty" director Sam Mendes, along with company partners Pippa Harris and Caro Newling, recently signed a two-year first-look deal with Focus Features. The deal with Focus (who were the distributors on Mendes’ recent flick "Away We Go") includes the acquisition of two projects that could end up being directed by Mendes. But what’s most interesting is the lack of a mention of the graphic novel adaptation "Preacher," which Mendes has already been signed on to direct.One of projects is called "Butcher's Crossing," an epic adventure based on the 1960 revisionist Western novel by John Williams. The other is "Middlemarch," an adaptation of the George Eliot novel about changing fortunes in a provincial English community in the early 1830s.
So, what does this mean for the "Preacher" adaptation? Although there is no release date set for it yet, one would assume since Mendes was officially signed on a few months ago as director, that the project would get on its way fairly soon. But this two-year deal with Focus now commits Mendes, and that commitment does not include "Preacher."
I guess this means that the adaptation of the "Preacher" graphic novel is definitely on the backburner? Or potentially moving on to another director? Variety says that Sam "has not committed to his next film as a director." Although, it sounds like it will probably be either "Butcher's Crossing" or "Middlemarch."
If this does mean that "Preacher" has been put on the backburner, I think it’s a shame. I was looking forward to soon seeing what Mendes would do with the Preacher as his thoughts on the original comic series a few months ago certainly showed that he’s passionate about adapting it.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing, Variety
New '9' Clip
This latest clip from Shane Acker's "9" shows the living rag dolls fighting another monster created from everyday household items. The action is amazing in this clip as well as the visuals of a post apocalyptic world where these dolls are the last remnants of life.
This film is going to be dark enough to earn a PG-13 rating and will hopefully answer questions as to what happened to all the people and what is the purpose of the dolls.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
This film is going to be dark enough to earn a PG-13 rating and will hopefully answer questions as to what happened to all the people and what is the purpose of the dolls.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
New 'Inglourious Basterds' Trailer
"Inglourious Basterds" begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.
Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish-American soldiers to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own...
"Inglourious Basterds" is both written and directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction," "Kill Bill").
The Weinstein Company and Universal have partnered to bring Tarantino's WWII masterpiece in all of its brilliant glory. After first debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, "Inglourious Basterds" will now hit theaters worldwide on August 21 this year.
Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish-American soldiers to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own...
"Inglourious Basterds" is both written and directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction," "Kill Bill").
The Weinstein Company and Universal have partnered to bring Tarantino's WWII masterpiece in all of its brilliant glory. After first debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, "Inglourious Basterds" will now hit theaters worldwide on August 21 this year.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News
Movies coming out this weekend!
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.
My Sister's Keeper - Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Diaz and Patric) who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) remain alive.
Movies coming out on DVD!
Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Pink Panther 2
Inkheart
Waltz With Bashir
The Code
Box Office results for the weekend!
1 The Proposal$34.1 M
2 The Hangover $26.8 M
3 Up $21.3 M
4 Year One$20.2 M
5 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 $11.3 M
6 Night at the Museum: Night at the Smithsonian $7.3 M
7 Star Trek $4.7 M
8 Land of the Lost $3.9 M
9 Imagine That$3.1 M
10 Terminator Salvation $3.0 M
"The Proposal" is the biggest opening ever for Sandra Bullock. I was surprised too. I really like "Speed," but I guess she does better in date movies.
"The Hangover" has made $164 million on a budget of $35 million. 'Nuff said.
Other films are still making money (except for "Land of the Lost") and "Year One" had a decent opening, but not enough to guarantee a profit.
Next week, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." It has been receiving lots of bad reviews. Can it live up to the hype?
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.
My Sister's Keeper - Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Diaz and Patric) who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) remain alive.
Movies coming out on DVD!
Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Pink Panther 2
Inkheart
Waltz With Bashir
The Code
Box Office results for the weekend!
1 The Proposal$34.1 M
2 The Hangover $26.8 M
3 Up $21.3 M
4 Year One$20.2 M
5 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 $11.3 M
6 Night at the Museum: Night at the Smithsonian $7.3 M
7 Star Trek $4.7 M
8 Land of the Lost $3.9 M
9 Imagine That$3.1 M
10 Terminator Salvation $3.0 M
"The Proposal" is the biggest opening ever for Sandra Bullock. I was surprised too. I really like "Speed," but I guess she does better in date movies.
"The Hangover" has made $164 million on a budget of $35 million. 'Nuff said.
Other films are still making money (except for "Land of the Lost") and "Year One" had a decent opening, but not enough to guarantee a profit.
Next week, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." It has been receiving lots of bad reviews. Can it live up to the hype?
'Fantastic Four' Reboot Goes Dark
Studio bosses at 20th Century Fox are reportedly planning an "all-new cast" and a "far darker take" on the Fantastic Four in their proposed reboot of the franchise.The revamp of the superhero series will distance itself from the two earlier films ("Fantastic Four" [2005] and "Rise of the Silver Surfer" [2007]) which starred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis as adventurers transformed by cosmic radiation, and Julian McMahon as the nefarious Doctor Doom.
The reboot was among the many projects promoted at the Licensing International Expo 2009 event held in New York earlier this month.
According to Jim Hill Media, which attended the convention, it was revealed that the reboot will "feature an all-new cast as well as a far darker take on this classic Marvel comic."
Who should be cast for the new versions of the Fantastic Four and who should direct the darker adaptation?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
What's Next for 'X-Men'?
The "X-men" franchise continues to move ahead, with several spin-offs planned following "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" which, despite poor reviews, has managed to pull in $357million worldwide so far.
A second "Wolverine" movie and a "Deadpool" spin-off have been confirmed as being in development while talks are also under way on a "Gambit" spin-off.
Also in the pipeline are "X-Men: First Class," about the early years of Xavier's school and set to feature young versions of Cyclops, Storm, Beast, Jean Grey and others; and "X-Men Origins: Magneto," showing the events that shaped the mutant archvillain played in the "X-Men" movies by Ian McKellen.
But which will be next?
David Goyer, who wrote the "Magneto" screenplay and was at one point attached to direct it, explained what was going on behind closed doors at 20th Century Fox.
He told Superhero Hype there had been "some preliminary discussions" about Magneto, although he did not confirm the status of his involvement with the project.
He added: "I think, at Fox, they're trying to decide if making a young X-Men film makes the most sense next [or] does Magneto make the most sense next. They're just trying to decide internally who's next up."
The end of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" certainly pointed towards "X-Men: First Class," but moving straight into that project omits Xavier's prior history with Magneto and leaps over the events that led to the establishment of the school.
I think the answer is to push forward with "X-Men Origins: Magneto" and "X-Men: First Class" almost simultaneously or with a maximum of one year apart. Why must we have three-year gaps between the X-Men movies?
And the studio should get Bryan Singer back, at least to executive-produce these films if he doesn't want to direct. Singer will notice all the details and potential continuity glitches that filmmakers less experienced with the franchise might overlook.
With a screenplay ready on "Magneto," it does seem the obvious choice to move forward first, once a director has been confirmed.
"X-Men: First Class," whose script was penned by "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz and recently reworked to tie in with what was seen in Wolverine, should follow closely behind.
The confirmed "Wolverine" sequel and "Deadpool" spin-off, along with the more nebulous and as-yet-unconfirmed "Gambit" film, do not yet have a script so they are unable to proceed at present anyway.
What "X-Men" film do you think should come next?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
A second "Wolverine" movie and a "Deadpool" spin-off have been confirmed as being in development while talks are also under way on a "Gambit" spin-off.
Also in the pipeline are "X-Men: First Class," about the early years of Xavier's school and set to feature young versions of Cyclops, Storm, Beast, Jean Grey and others; and "X-Men Origins: Magneto," showing the events that shaped the mutant archvillain played in the "X-Men" movies by Ian McKellen.
But which will be next?
David Goyer, who wrote the "Magneto" screenplay and was at one point attached to direct it, explained what was going on behind closed doors at 20th Century Fox.
He told Superhero Hype there had been "some preliminary discussions" about Magneto, although he did not confirm the status of his involvement with the project.
He added: "I think, at Fox, they're trying to decide if making a young X-Men film makes the most sense next [or] does Magneto make the most sense next. They're just trying to decide internally who's next up."
The end of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" certainly pointed towards "X-Men: First Class," but moving straight into that project omits Xavier's prior history with Magneto and leaps over the events that led to the establishment of the school.
I think the answer is to push forward with "X-Men Origins: Magneto" and "X-Men: First Class" almost simultaneously or with a maximum of one year apart. Why must we have three-year gaps between the X-Men movies?
And the studio should get Bryan Singer back, at least to executive-produce these films if he doesn't want to direct. Singer will notice all the details and potential continuity glitches that filmmakers less experienced with the franchise might overlook.
With a screenplay ready on "Magneto," it does seem the obvious choice to move forward first, once a director has been confirmed.
"X-Men: First Class," whose script was penned by "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz and recently reworked to tie in with what was seen in Wolverine, should follow closely behind.
The confirmed "Wolverine" sequel and "Deadpool" spin-off, along with the more nebulous and as-yet-unconfirmed "Gambit" film, do not yet have a script so they are unable to proceed at present anyway.
What "X-Men" film do you think should come next?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Chris Nolan May Leave Batman Behind
I had been holding off on posting about this because I wanted to wait and see if there were any updates on this story like the Michael Bay post, but nothing new has come up.After the release and amazing success of Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" last summer, the world waited with bated breath for news of a follow-up.
But the announcement never came.
The director instead moved on to his own original film idea: a sci-fi project called "Inception" about which very little is known apart from the fact it is due out in summer 2010.
Nolan has always been cautious about a third Batman movie, as there is the pressure to match and outdo "The Dark Knight" when most franchise's third installments go against this trend.
Latest reports suggest the chances of him coming back are slimmer than most people imagined and that there might be a long wait for another caped crusader adventure.
According to the fansite Batman-on-Film, Christopher Nolan's return is in doubt.
It's claimed Nolan was so shaken by the death of Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, that he wants to move on from the Batman franchise. Nolan's original plan had been for the archvillain to return in the next movie.
Although the filmmaker had been pondering possible story ideas with Batman writers Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer, his involvement is uncertain and the franchise is reportedly back to square one with no story laid down at all.
The source also said that it would be 2012 at the earliest before another Batman film might be released and possibly 2013.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files
New 'G.I. Joe' Trailer
The new "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" trailer goes for the serious action and the cheesy comedy (just like "Transformers," which is also a film based off a toyline).
"G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" is directed by big action filmmaker Stephen Sommers, of "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns." The movie is based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe line of toys that debuted in 1964.
Paramount will premiere "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" in theaters everywhere on August 7 this year.
"G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" is directed by big action filmmaker Stephen Sommers, of "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns." The movie is based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe line of toys that debuted in 1964.
Paramount will premiere "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" in theaters everywhere on August 7 this year.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Is Roland Kickinger the New Conan?
Way back when, before anyone had even seen "Terminator Salvation," news hit that an Austrian bodybuilder named Roland Kickinger had been cast to play the T-800 instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As we later found out, he was cast for his body, not his face. But now numerous sites are reporting that Kickinger has been cast in Lionsgate's "Conan" reboot that Marcus Nispel will direct. One of those sites is the Risky Biz Blog, run by the Hollywood Reporter's Steven Zeitchik, and they usually run only officially confirmed news. However, El Mayimbe on Latino Review is claiming this is all bullsh*t.Zeitchik says that Kickinger is "in talks," which means it's not official. But they were convinced enough to run a story. On the flipside, El Mayimbe claims that "I have a super solid source at both Lionsgate and Millenium and they laughed their asses off!"
Who the heck is right? We will have to wait to hear anything official from the studios.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Latino Review, Risky Biz Blog
Next Sly Stallone Movies Might be PG-13
UGO Movie Blog had the chance to explore the set of the upcoming action film "The Expendables" and asked producer Avi Lerner about the movie as well as the rumored "Rambo V."One of the questions asked was whether "Rambo V" - if it gets made in the first place - will be as violent and brutal as "Rambo" (2008). Avi Responded with a resounding NO, saying that the story in Burma had to be tackled that way, with extreme and brutal violence so that it portrayed an important aspect of what that story is about. He also said that they lost at least half the audience for that film with such a hard R, so neither "The Expendables" nor the "Rambo" sequel will be as brutal. He did, however, say that it is not an "if" but a "when." "Rambo 5" is definitley coming to theaters near you.
There will be both PG-13 and R rated cuts for "The Expendables" and they will test each to decide which to release. "The Expendables" is costing about 80 million dollars, thanks to so many real explosions, the star cast and everything else that goes into making an action flick. The studio wants this film to be a big hit and Avi is hoping to turn it into a franchise - including whoever doesn't die in the first film in subsequent films.
I would rather keep the films rated R because, well, I am a guy and I like action (and these films are catering to those fans, so why not make it R). How about you?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: UGO Movie Blog
'Jonah Hex' Sequels
Jack Black and Michael Cera: Upcoming Projects
MTV News interviewed Jack Black and Michael Cera for their new film "Year One" but got them started talking about their other projects including the "Heavy Metal" remake and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
'Mission Impossible IV'
Just last week we ran a rumor that J.J. Abrams would return to produce "Mission: Impossible 4" with Tom Cruise. It came from a very small blurb in TV Guide - but it looks as if they just beat the Hollywood Reporter to the punch. Now THR is officially reporting that Paramount has put "M:i:IV" on the fast-track for a 2011 release. It's not a surefire prospect - both Cruise and Abrams have so many other projects in the works, that neither will confirm what they're doing next.What the THR article does say is that there are two different scenarios that Abrams and Cruise will choose from: 1) they "could reconceive it in a way that is closer to the ensemble approach of the TV series", or 2) they "could reconfigure Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a less front-and-center role, as some kind of mentor to the new M:I crew." This is all very early speculation and no writers have been hired.
Is the "Mission Impossible" franchise on its last legs and is it too soon to reboot it with a fresh crew?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing
UPDATE: Bay Quits 'Transformers' Franchise
Michael Bay said this weekend's new release "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" will be the last film he makes in the robot franchise.The director is reported as saying he needs a break from the explosive action movies and is tired of being savaged by critics for his film-making style.
According to Yahoo News (WENN), Bay said: "It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France. But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers. They (the critics) review me before they've even seen the movie."
A third movie in the series was greenlit in March, with a release date of July 1, 2011 (now moved to 2012). But it seems studio bosses will have to find another filmmaker.
Bay said: "After the three and a half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the 'Transformers' world.
"I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions."
This goes along with Bay saying he wanted to take a break from "Transformers" to make smaller films for a while, but now the director has just gotten fed up with all the riduclous amount of work he has to put into these large summer blockbusters.
Who will direct "Transformers 3" now?
UPDATE: On his message board, Shoot for the Edit, Bay clarified the reports and says he just wants a break from the action films but will not quit for good.
He said: "Never said it - just wanted a vacation is more to the point."
The initial report said he was fed up with being savaged by critics but he added: "And, no, I don't read the good or the bad reviews."
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, Yahoo News (WENN)
New '2012' Trailer
Roland Emmerich is giving Michael Bay a run for his money! The second full-length trailer for "2012," the apocalyptic end-of-the-world movie, has just hit and it is insanely awesome! This trailer is epic and Emmerich really is showing us the end of the world with this one.
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. An academic researcher will lead a group of people in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar.
"2012" is directed and co-written by German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, of films like "Independence Day," "Godzilla," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 B.C." It was also co-written by Harald Kloser, of "The Day After Tomorrow," "Alien vs Predator" and "10,000 B.C." as well.
Sony Pictures is bringing "2012" to theaters everywhere on November 13 this year.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Rope of Silicon
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. An academic researcher will lead a group of people in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar.
"2012" is directed and co-written by German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, of films like "Independence Day," "Godzilla," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 B.C." It was also co-written by Harald Kloser, of "The Day After Tomorrow," "Alien vs Predator" and "10,000 B.C." as well.
Sony Pictures is bringing "2012" to theaters everywhere on November 13 this year.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Rope of Silicon
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