UPDATED: Director Paul Greengrass Leaves 'Bourne 4'

For months we’ve heard that the fourth installment in the successful "Bourne" franchise is moving forward with both star Matt Damon and "Supremacy/Ultimatum" director Paul Greengrass attached to return. A story was being worked on, but there was still no completed script.

Two scripts for the film are being written, one by George Nolfi (co-writer of "Ultimatum," and another Matt Damon movie, "The Adjustment Bureau") and one by Josh Zetumer, the latter being brought in not that long ago to write a “parallel” script.

Now news comes that Greengrass has left "Bourne 4."

The news comes to us from The Playlist, which says that Greengrass and Universal Studios called things quits last week. While the official story is that there were "creative difference," the real reason, as The Playlist explains, is money.

It's a long and elaborate story but to sum it up, basically Greengrass wasn't happy that they hired Zetumer to develop a parallel script. And Universal isn't happy with Greengrass because he went way over budget on "Green Zone" and is apparently still spending money editing that. And because Universal is a bit finicky with their money right now (and are in desperate need of a huge hit), everything fell apart.

To make matters worse, apparently Matt Damon is loyal to Greengrass. So if the director doesn’t come back we’ll likely either have to face the prospect of a "Bourne 4" without Damon or none at all.

So with Greengrass off the project for the foreseeable future (he may come back), and Damon’s involvement hanging in the balance, this really does hinder us from seeing a "Bourne 4" anytime soon. The film was announced to have a summer 2011 release date with shooting to start in fall 2010. Unless things pick back up very soon, I don’t see those dates being met.

What do you think of Greengrass reportedly walking away from "Bourne 4"?

UPDATE: Dirctor Paul Greengrass has confirmed he is dropping out of the planned fourth film in the Bourne series.

Variety reports that Universal Pictures has now issued a statement from Greengrass saying: "My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. There's been no disagreement with Universal Pictures.

"The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive.

"I've been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on."

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Screen Rant, First Showing

Official 'Iron Man 2' Poster (With War Machine)

Next summer's most anticipated sequel just got a little bit more real.

"Iron Man 2" is one of the most anticipated films of 2010 and will swoop in to kick the summer movie season off with a big repulsor blast.

Yahoo has debuted a new poster for "Iron Man 2" that doesn't just feature the Iron Man suit, but the War Machine suit as well.

Sure, it's just the two characters standing there, back to back, but it's Iron-Man and War Machine together at last. Someone cue some lovey-dovey music here, it's the moment we've been waiting for since "Iron-Man" had Terrence Howard hint at one day jumping into Tony Stark's trademark suit (but now Howard has been replaced by Don Cheadle).
What do you think about the first decent look at War Machine and the Iron Man 2 poster in general?

"Iron Man 2" is set to hit theaters on May 7, 2010 and stars: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Starl/Iron Man, Don Cheadle as James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, UGO Movie Blog, Latino Review, Rope of Silicon

'Hobbit' Production Delayed Until Summer 2010

One of the most eagerly anticipated and discussed upcoming movies is Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of "The Hobbit."

A quote from TheOneRing.net, which originated over at a German site called MovieReporter.net, says that during an interview for Jackson’s drama, "The Lovely Bones," the filmmaker revealed that the film will probably start shooting next Summer and not the Spring (March) date that was previously rumored.

Here’s the quote (translated from German):

“We’re currently working on the second script which we hope to have completed by the end of this year or beginning of next. When the scripts are completed, we can begin with the exact calculation of the necessary budget. We hope to start filming in the middle of next year. However, we’ve received no green light from the studio yet.”

Jackson has already stated that the script for the first film is done, so the greenlight from the studio will probably come once the second script is done.

Unless they need a lot of time for pre-production to make sure they have everything right before they start the cameras rolling, I see no reason for the film to not be on course for the original rumored start date of Spring 2010.Maybe the later Summer date that Jackson has thrown into the ring might be due to the main character, Bilbo Baggins, not yet being cast.

Let's hope a delay doesn't cause the December 2011 release date to be pushed back either. Since the quote comes from Jackson himself (who’s producing the entire project), it’s definitely worth taking note of because he should know what is happening with the films.

What do you think of "The Hobbit" apparently set to start filming next summer instead of next spring?

"The Hobbit: Part 1" is set to hit theaters in December 2011 with "Part 2" following a year later in December 2012.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Armored - A newbie guard for an armored truck company is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $42 million. But a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.

Brothers - Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns from being held as a prisoner-of-war in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Gyllenhaal) has become the man, of sorts, of the household where Sam's wife, Grace (Portman) had been living under the assumption that she was a widow.

Everybody's Fine - A widower (De Niro) takes an impromptu road trip in order to reconnect with his grown children, only to discover that his family members are living far from perfect lives.

Transylmania - A horror comedy that follows a group of college kids who travel to Transylvania for a semester at Razvan University, which isn't as picturesque (or safe) as it appeared on its brochure.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Terminator Salvation
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
A Christmas Tale
Paper Heart

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 The Twilight Saga: New Moon$42.5 M

2 The Blind Side$40.1 M

3 2012 $18.0 M

4 Old Dogs$16.8 M

5 Disney's A Christmas Carol $16.0 M

6 Ninja Assassin $13.1 M

7 Planet 51 $10.2 M

8 Precious $7.0 M

9 The Fantastic Mr. Fox $7.0 M

10 The Men Who Stare at Goats $1.5 M

"New Moon" almost lost the holiday weekend as "The Blind Side" hit from...well...the blind side. But the vampire/werewolf romance flick stayed on top, but ended up falling over 70 percent from last weekend. Still, it is just under $475 million worldwide on a projected budget of only $50 million.

"The Blind Side" improved its numbers from last weekend, as did "A Christmas Carol." But "Old Dogs" and "Ninja Assassin" fell through the ranks. Heck, "The Road" didn't even make it on the Top 10 list.

Can "New Moon" stay on top for three weekends in a row or will another film take its place? If it does fall, what film do you think will win the weekend?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Nimrod Antal Opens Up About 'Predators '

Nimrod Antal and his cast and crew are currently out in Hawaii shooting "Predators," the Robert Rodriguez produced reboot of the sci-fi franchise that started some 22 years ago.

We first learned in July that Antal was directing "Predators" and found out who's in the cast in October, but this is the first time Antal has spoken out about working on the project and what his plans are as well as his love for the franchise.

"So far, it's been great, and I think that the fans who may have been underwhelmed by the last two 'AVP' films, I think they're in for a very pleasant surprise," Antal told ComingSoon in an interview.

"I think [Rodriguez and I] both recognize that the original film was as good as it was because of the practical, because it was a guy in a suit, because it was the jungle, so we stay true to that. We were in Hawaii for a month in the jungle, so there's going to be some pretty impressive locations."

He doesn't confirm whether there are multiple Predators or not, like the title alludes to, and every question is answered very carefully. But this is all still interesting news from the man helming the film.

The cast for the movie is made up of "smaller" guys like Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Derek Mears (who is actually big guy), Danny Trejo (who's also pretty damn buff), and Alice Braga. So why choose this rather odd cast?

"I think when we cast Adrian, there were a lot of people going, 'What?' but at the same time, if we cast a Vin Diesel in that role or if we cast anyone who is Arnold-esque, we would have been attacked for doing that. So we decided early on to go in a very different direction as far as the casting process, but it turned out fantastic. He plays a mercenary in the film and if you look at the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan today, they're not 'yolked- out' Schwarzenegger-looking guys. They're all very wiry and thin guys, and I think it's going to play well."

And of course, there's a concern about whether Antal is even the right director for this. But don't worry, he's a pretty big fan himself.

"Let me tell you, I was so much of a fan that I stood in line when I was 14 and I had the poster on my wall. I was a huge fan," Antal enthusiastically told ComingSoon.

And as for Rodriguez' involvement, he explains: "He is involved in the screenplay and we've had a lot of conversations, and any big decisions I want to make, I always speak to him about, but he's been very gracious and he's been letting me do my thing. He's really let me perform and he's letting me dance, so again, I'm grateful to him for that."

It sounds like Antal is heading in the right direction. As a side note, go see "Armored" this weekend, as it was directed by Antal and is the film that Rodriguez hired him off of, so if it is good that will raise our hopes for "Predators."

"Predators" hits theaters July 7, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing

Will Jeremy Renner Play Hawkeye?

Way back at the end of 2008, there were reports that "Iron Man 2" would introduce two characters from the comics to the Marvel film universe: Black Widow and Hawkeye.

We now know that half of that is true in Scarlett Johansson playing Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. As for Hawkeye, we’ve heard absolutely nothing on that character and no actor was signed to play the role… at least that we know of.

In an interview in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, actor Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker," "S.W.A.T.," "28 Weeks Later") reveals that he was in consideration for the role of Captain America. But when he went into to meet with the folks at Marvel Studios, they instead talked about the actor possibly playing Hawkeye, the purple Archer, instead.

“I don’t know if I’d be right for Captain America. I met with the Marvel guys, actually, but we didn’t talk about Captain America. But one of the writers, Zak Penn, we’ve become friends over time and he was thinking maybe Hawkeye could be interesting. He sounds like an interesting character.”

Zak Penn is the screenwriter in charge of bringing all of the major players together in one of the most ambitious film projects ever, in writing "The Avengers."

“If I was a betting man," Renner hinted, "I would bet that Hawkeye would probably show up in 'Thor,' and then be in 'The Avengers'… But do I know for sure? I can’t say. But I’d love for that to happen. It’d be fun.”
But Renner added: "No offer has been made. I think they're a little ways from that.

"I'm just happy to get considered for big franchise roles like that. I'm not [doing the] casting. If they see me that way, right on. If they don't, I'm ok with it."

If he is to be introduced, it doesn’t make sense for him to be a part of "Thor" instead of "Iron Man 2" since his comic book origins have him crossing paths with Iron Man and Black Widow. Hawkeye, whose real name is Clint Barton, is an archer who ran away to become a carnival performer as a kid. He later sees Iron Man in action and is inspired to become a "costumed hero." He then falls in love with Black Widow and they're initially mistaken for villains.

Would you like to see Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

'Shrek Forever After' Synopsis

That photo you see above is the "very first" official photo from DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After."

USA Today has the first look of the film with the picture as well as some new information on the franchise. "Shrek Forever After" is the final film in the "Shrek" franchise (although I'm sure it'll still continue with spin-offs like "Puss in Boots").

"All that was loved about 'Shrek' in the first film is brought to the final film," promises Bill Damaschke, head of creative production at DreamWorks.

The official synopsis follows:

"After rescuing a princess, getting hitched and fathering triplets, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated. ‘He has lost his roar,’ says director Mike Mitchell. ‘It used to send villagers running away in terror. Now they run to him and ask him to sign their pitchforks and torches.’

“To regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, the wee troublemaker who popped up briefly in Shrek 2 and 3.

"Of course, the pact goes awry and Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed. That translates into Donkey being forced into cart-pulling duty, fat and lazy Puss in Boots trading his sword for a pink bow and the underhanded Rumpelstiltskin ruling the kingdom.”

The film is being described as the, “Brothers Grimm meets It’s A Wonderful Life,” the latter being the whole “see what life would be like without him” aspect for Shrek. That idea I must admit fits quite well with the whole fairy tale universe of Shrek.

The huge voice cast for this one includes Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Amy Poehler, John Lithgow, Maya Rudolph, Amy Sedaris, Eric Idle, Larry King, and Regis Philbin.

And a few more newcomers include Kathy Griffin and "Flight of the Conchords" actress Kristin Schaal voicing a couple of witches who hunt ogres, and "Mad Men" actor John Hamm is voicing an underground resistance group leader who’s described by director, Mike Mitchell as, “the best-looking ogre you’ve ever seen.”

For those anxious to see a trailer, there will be one playing in front of "Avatar" in December.

Are you looking forward to another installment in the "Shrek" franchise?

"Shrek Forever After" hits regular and 3-D theaters on May 21, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

Peter Jackson Updates 'Tintin'

Peter Jackson spoke with BBC about "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" while promoting the premiere of his new film, "The Lovely Bones." He told them that the movie is done and cut together, it'll just take a very long time to render it. About two years, in fact.

"'Tintin' is great. It's made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film. So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state," Jackson said.

As reported previously, Steven Spielberg spent 30 days directing "The Adventures of Tintin" back in March and then handed over the reigns to Peter Jackson, who will now be working on it for two more years (probably at his New Zealand-based effects house Weta Digital).

"Tintin" was long ago revealed to have a release date of December 23, 2011. Two years sounds about right for it being on course to be released when planned. However, a full 24 months being devoted to adding the necessary computer animation is a lot.

Are you surprised "Tintin"’s computer animation is set to take so long or does it sound about right to you?

"The Adventures of Tintin: The Secrets of the Unicorn" is set to hit theaters in late October/early November internationally, and on Dec. 23 in the U.S., both in 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

Updates on 'Silver Surfer' Movie

Last week, screenwriter J Michael Straczynski said that the disappointing performance of the "Fantastic Four" sequel at the box office had "caused [Fox] to call into question a 'Silver Surfer' movie." Some online reports took this to mean the project was dead.

The scribe had penned a "Silver Surfer" screenplay that followed on from the second Fantastic Four movie, in which the cosmic character had been introduced.

Now he is backtracking a bit and says that Fox's proposed "Silver Surfer" spin-off is still in active development.

Straczynski clarified his remarks on SilverSurferFilm.com, explaining: "When I was asked about the 'Silver Surfer' script, I responded about the one I'd written around the time that 'FF2' was launched, and was designed to pick up where that one left off.

"When 'FF2' didn't do as well as hoped for, that script was set aside, but that has NOTHING to do with the 'Silver Surfer' script that is NOW under development at Fox with other folks. As far as I know, that is proceeding apace.

"So the hysteria that's gripped the nets about 'ohmygod the Surfer movie is dead!' is not correct, as I was again referring to only that one specific script tied into 'FF2,' NOT what's being done now."

The storyline in the script now apparently being developed is not known. In fact, there has been no obvious movement on the film such as an announced director or new writers or any publicity from producers.

What we do we know is that a new revamp of the "Fantastic Four" is planned and that Michael Green is working on the screenplay. Green was hired by Fox to write the "FF" reboot, but there is no information indicating if he is attached to the new "Silver Surfer" script.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files

Ryan Reynolds on 'Deadpool' and 'Green Lantern'

Two big comic book movies I’m looking forward to are "Green Lantern" and "Deadpool." These movies will both be pushing the popular and fast-growing genre of comic book adaptations in new directions and both are attempting to bring a relatively unknown character to mainstream audiences.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Reynolds opened up about how excited he is for both projects.

"This is a difficult industry to get anything made, let alone a passion project," Reynolds said in the interview, "so when you see people understand what your vision is and come aligned with that common goal, it's pretty cool.

"I'm including all the creative types that are actually involved with 'Deadpool' and 'Green Lantern,' because those guys want to make an authentic movie, and that's something a few years ago studios disregarded."

MTV News directly asked Reynolds how he felt on Wade Wilson/Deadpool's treatment in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and whether the character in the film matched what he wanted to see.

“Yeah, I think the initial moment of the sequences that involve Wade, I think it did. It’s always difficult to fully embrace something that isn’t perfect, in terms of staying true to the source material. So it was a little bit frustrating. I really wanted to play Wade, and I really wanted to play Deadpool, and it would kill me to see someone else play them.
"I had a kind of ham-fisted attitude that it had to be perfect, but it doesn’t. The movie’s called 'Wolverine,' it’s not called 'Deadpool' or 'Wade.' I thought it was a nice little wink and tip of the hat to things to come. Finding the tone of that character alone is such a difficult prospect.

"I’ve been in so many meetings lately about 'Deadpool' and meeting all these writers. Everyone is always looking for that one line, 'What is that character?' and for me it’s kind of like, 'There’s a guy, and he’s in a highly militarized comedic fame spiral.'

"That’s not an easy thing to write — an entire screenplay, let alone a franchise. I had a blast playing Wade. Every line I had in that was stuff I thought he would say. It wasn’t something that a writer said to me. It was fun to really create that character, including everything he spits out of his awful mouth.”

MTV News also asked Reynolds about how he felt about the "Green Lantern" film so far and how he enjoyed working with director Martin Campbell.
"I think, seeing the prototypes for the Green Lantern costumes was a huge moment. It was a moment when I was like, 'This is happening, and it's happening in the right way.' That's a pretty cool, definitive moment for me.

"I've known about Green Lantern my whole life, but I've never really followed it before. I fell in love with the character when I met with [director] Martin Campbell. When I sat down with him, I really got what it is that this guy is all about.

"When you have a guy like Martin Campbell, part of his charm is that he has ba--s of titanium, and the other part is that he's slightly crazy, and you have to be to take on something with the scope of Green Lantern. He's less of the director and more of a general. He just really knows strategies, he knows the intricacies, and his attention to detail! It's infectious.

"I sat down with him, and I could not even believe what he was saying. When I went to the meeting, I was entirely cynical. I thought, 'What the hell, I'll see what they have to say,' and I left the room with a completely different perspective."

Are you excited for either of this films (or both)?

"Green Lantern" is scheduled to open in theaters June 17, 2011. "Deadpool" is expected to open sometime that year as well, but can Reynolds do both films for 2011...?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, The Geek Files, First Showing

"Thor" Updates on Donald Blake

When talking with MTV News, Natalie Portman revealed that "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" actress Kat Dennings had joined the cast of “Thor,” but she did not reveal what role the new cast member would have.

According to Variety, Dennings will play Darcy, a coworker of Portman’s Jane Foster. Both women will portray characters who work int he medical field.

It's interesting to note that the Variety report describes the story as focusing on a “partly disabled med student who discovers his Norse god alter ego, the hammer-swinging Thor.”

For those unfamiliar with the comics, this med student goes by the name of Donald Blake who’s Thor’s other identity. Thor’s farther, Odin, wanted to have his son learn humility and thereby puts Thor into the body of Donald Blake as an act of punishment for his reckless behavior. Blake suffers from a lame leg and Thor acquires his memories while losing his own of being a god prior to this event.

However, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige stated that Donald Blake would not be in the “Thor” movie during a press conference held last June.

Does this mean that Donald Blake will be in the “Thor” movie after all? Not necessarily. Variety’s statement about the story indicates that Blake will be in the film, but it may only include him during a part of the movie (and not center on him).
So while it may be obvious that Donald Blake will be included, or at least introduced, in the "Thor" movie – especially with the fact that Natalie Portman is playing a nurse of Blake’s and his love interest – It may not be the case. Hercules at Ain’t It Cool News may have found otherwise. From Hercules’s post:

“Variety’s assertion contradicted some of what we’ve heard, so we contacted a 100% tested and solid source, someone intimately familiar with the movie Kenneth Branagh is making, and he or she tells AICN Donald Blake is definitely NOT in the movie.”

If he’s cast down to Earth, and assuming director Kenneth Branagh isn’t completely abandoning that specific aspect of the Thor comics, then Blake must be in the movie. Either that or the original comic storyline is being altered and Thor comes down as himself but without his powers.

Then what are Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings’ roles for and how will they interact with the title character? Should Donald Blake be in the movie or not?

"Thor" hits theaters May 20, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News, Screen Rant

'Avatar': Making A Scene Featurette

While I've been off hanging out for the holiday, movie news has been still coming out. So all my backed up posts will be coming out now. I'd like to start off with "Avatar" because I'm sure something else about the film will come out next week.

In the film, Zoe Saldana’s character, Neytiri, a Na’vi warrior, takes Sam Worthington’s character, Jake Sully, up to a mountain top where the alien pterodactyls known as “Banshees” nest. As mandated by Na’vi custom, Jake must earn his right of passage as a hunter by breaking in one of the wild banshees, much like a cowboy has to break a wild stallion before he can ride it.

Below is a 10-minute featurette on the "anatomy of a scene." Looking at it, you see how much work went into each and every sequence James Cameron put together.
(If not working, head to Hulu to watch it)



This behind-the-scenes featurette is the first time I’ve gotten an extensive look at the revolutionary technology used for this film actually being put to purpose other than promoting the film. I wonder if we will be seeing this style of movie-making a lot more in the future if "Avatar" does well.

"Avatar" hits theaters Dec. 18.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant, Hulu

'Avatar' Movie Clip

I feel like I can't go a day or two without finding myself doing a post on "Avatar." The movie comes out in a few weeks and the marketing machine is rolling out all the stops so that everyone knows about this movie.

Well, IGN has released a clip of the movie titled “Thanador Chase”. It features Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver’s characters, Jake Scully and Dr. Grace Augustine, taking their Avatar bodies out for a spin in the alien jungles of Pandora, only to run afoul of some local wildlife, in this case, a “Thanador.”

Avatar Movie Clip - Thanator Chase

Now, just try and remember that pretty much all of what you saw in that clip was CGI. Will the rest of the visuals for this film stand up to the hype behind it all? Will we not be able to tell what is real and what is computer-generated?

"Avatar" hits theaters Dec. 18.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

J. Michael Straczynski Provides Updates on 'World War Z,' 'Silver Surfer' and 'Forbidden Planet'

“Babylon 5” creator and noted comic scribe J. Michael Straczynski spoke with Collider during last weekend’s “Ninja Assassin” press junket. He gave several updates on some of his films including "World War Z," a "Silver Surfer" spin-off and the "Forbidden Planet" remake.

Straczynski said his “Silver Surfer” script is in limbo at Fox thanks to the lukewarm response received by “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.”

“What happened was when ‘FF2’ didn’t do as well as they hoped it would do, it caused them to call into question a ‘Silver Surfer’ movie. The script that I wrote picked up right where ‘FF2’ left off. So if they do a ‘Silver Surfer’ film down the road, it’ll have to be its own separate things.”

Straczynski added, “It was definitely adult fare. I wanted to tell the origin of the Surfer and get into that whole thing.”

He also said that he has written several drafts of the script for the post-apocalyptic horror novel adaptation "World War Z" for Paramount.

"The director is attached to it and Paramount really wants to see it done because they have a lot of money invested in this thing," he said. "They think it could be a really big film for them.

The novel is told in a series of interviews that the main character of the narrative reports on. On adapting that style, Straczynski said he wanted to keep the documentary style of the novel but focus on the reporter.

"So I basically said, 'Well, who did those interviews?' And you tell the story of the guy who works for the UN going around the planet interviewing folks to see what happened to them and report on what happened. Through his eyes, you see flashbacks of those storylines."

Straczynski has spoken about his plans for how he sees his version of "Forbidden Planet," but that was almost a year ago. Have things changed since then? During the Collider interview, he describes how faithful the remake will be to the original.

"I think if you're a fan of the original as I am and have always been, I think it's very faithful to that. We've actually decided to show more of the first ship when it first arrived 20 years earlier to sort of counterpoint what's happening in the present story. But Warners is very excited about it, thinks it's a big franchise for them and a huge budget, so they're very much oriented toward getting it done.

Straczynski was also asked if he's added a lot more action to the story beyond what's in the original movie.

"There's a little more action but it's still a strong character piece because it's based on 'The Tempest' and the idea of a father whose daughter is being courted by, in the original play, sailors that are washed up on shore. You need to have that dynamic still in place to respect the original and the source material. So there's a fair amount of talking but there's some really cool action pieces in it as well."

Are you excited about any of these projects? Do you want a film based on Max Brooks' "World War Z" novel? Do we need a "Silver Surfer" film? Who should direct the "Forbidden Planet" remake?

So many questions...guess we will have to wait and see.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: MTV News, The Geek Files, First Showing

'The Crow' Remake Continues to Fly

Director Stephen Norrington’s script for the proposed reboot of “The Crow” is finished even though the film has yet to get the official greenlight.

“The script is great,” said producer Ryan Kavanaugh during an interview with i09. ”We're very excited about it. ‘The Crow’ is definitely going to happen, we're just getting all the pieces together right now. It's not officially greenlit, but it's going to happen... I think in a couple months we could have the package together for sure.”

Norrington’s version is said to be, “realistic, hard-edged and mysterious.”

Created in 1989 by James O'Barr, “The Crow” has been adapted into a TV series and four feature films — most notably with the first "Crow" film starring the late Brandon Lee in 1994. According to Kavanaugh, the new film will be a literal relaunch of the franchise, which includes a complete reinterpretation of The Crow’s classic look.

“I think it's something cool, we're approaching it differently,” stated Kavanaugh. “He'll have makeup, but it will be different. The best way to compare it is the first ‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Begins.’ In terms of their look and feel and character.”

Kavanaugh also offered some hints regarding the casting of the new Crow.

“It will be an actor you've heard of,” related Kavanaugh. “We're not ruling anything out. We're looking at both, with the very well known and the ‘very talented but they may not be quite there yet.’”

Norrington’s “Crow” relaunch was first announced near the end of last year. Back in July, it was rumored that the new “Crow” would not be a remake of the original film and the Eric Draven character would not be used.

Who would you like to see play the iconic character of Eric Draven in this “reinvention” of the franchise/character? Do you think it should be someone really famous, a complete unknown or someone in-between? Do you like that this version apparently isn’t going to be gothic or stylized as the 1994 one was?

There’s no official word on when "The Crow" reboot will hit theaters, but it’s estimated to be sometime in 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: MTV News, Screen Rant

'Avatar' Featured on 60 Minutes

James Cameron's "Avatar" is less than a month away and the marketing machine behind the epic film is moving along nicely.

Yesterday, 60 Minutes aired an approximately 13-minute segment about all things "Avatar," taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the set and into Cameron's own office and mind regarding his work on the project.

If you’ve been keeping up with "Avatar" since day one, then the most this segment is going to offer you is a couple of new shots to look at. Everything else is pretty much a rehash of the film ’s well-documented history – how Cameron has been dreaming it up for a over a decade, the new technology he used to film it, the storyline of the film, who James Cameron IS – with Cameron himself explaining it all real slow and easy so anyone can understand clearly.

You can check out the embedded video below for the segment. As much as I may raise an eyebrow at the story of "Avatar," 60 Minutes gives an interesting look at all of the tech it took to make the film possible.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, Latino Review

New 'Up' Short Now Online

A new Pixar short has been uploaded onto YouTube and it features the two Shady Oaks nurses that arrived to pick up Carl in Pixar's "Up" before he floated off to Paradise Falls. What exactly happened while Carl and Russell were off having their adventure? Find out below in the following four minute clip.



"Up" is already out on DVD and Blu-ray!
Source: Rope of Silicon

'The Road' Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

One long featurette that gives a behind-the-scenes look on the making of "The Road" has appeared online thanks to Apple.

I expect that this video (among other special features) will wind up on the DVD and Blu-ray for "The Road." It gives a great analysis of all the actors for the film while trying not to spoil anything for those who have not read the book.

Watch and enjoy!



"The Road" hits theaters this Wednesday.

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Old Dogs - Ben (Williams) is a successful businessman whose professional and personal life is altered when an old flame re-enteres his life -- with her two children (twins!) in tow. Finding himself temporarily in charge of their welfare, he enlists his best friend and colleague (Travolta) to co-parent.

The Road - A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization.

Ninja Assassin - Raizo (Rain) is a rogue ninja who comes to the aid of Mika Coretti (Harris), a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked the shadowy Ozunu Clan, a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders. Most dangerous to them both is Takeshi (Yune), Raizo's former ally and the assassin leading the charge of Ozunu killers to Berlin.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Angels and Demons
Funny People
Four Christmases
Gomorra

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 The Twilight Saga: New Moon$140.7 M

2 The Blind Side$34.5 M

3 2012 $26.5 M

4 Planet 51$12.6 M

5 Disney's A Christmas Carol $12.2 M

6 Precious $11.0 M

7 The Men Who Stare at Goats $2.7 M

8 Couples Retreat $1.9 M

9 The Fourth Kind $1.7 M

10 Law Abiding Citizen $1.6 M

As I previously posted, "New Moon" shattered lots of opening day records, but it has settled in third place for highest grossing weekend (it sits behind "Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3").

Dang...that means "New Moon" beat out the opening weekend of "Transformers 2" by $32 million. This is a very high number for a film not coming out over the summer.

*GASP* But "Eclipse" does...

To those of you who hate the "Twilight" franchise and want to decry this as some sort of referendum on pop culture: I reject your argument. The film is probably excellent for those who read and enjoyed the books. It wasn't fun for anyone that hadn't.

Seeing as how I am not a fan of the books, I just say that the movie is good for people who are. And since I know someone who has seen it three times already...well...yeah...

"The Blind Side" actually opened very well and I think might be Sandra Bullocks best opening for any of her films. I will have to check the numbers on that fact.

Other films fill the rest of the slots, with "2012" still causing destruction and "Planet 51" pulling in the little kiddies.

What about next weekend? Will the vampire/werewolf/human love triangle conquer all or will it plummet, letting other films take the spotlight? We'll have to wait and see.

Avatar: Running Time and New Footage

Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox (which is handling the release of the movie) has revealed the running time for James Cameron's anticipated 3-D epic sci-fi film "Avatar."

Snyder said that the running time will be 150 minutes (2 hrs 30 mins) which may rise to a maximum of 156 minutes when the credits are added.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this will allow cinemas to offer three daytime showings and two evening screenings.

The length of "Avatar," which will play in both 3-D and standard 2-D formats, has been governed by the plans to show the film at IMAX venues.

IMAX cinemas that do not use digital projection are limited to film spools that amount to no more than 170 minutes of footage, and this became the maximum runtime Cameron assigned to "Avatar."

IMAX screens are set to screen the movie until the first week of March, a record run for a film at such venues. Last year, "The Dark Knight" set the IMAX record by running for 10 weeks.

Fox has also confirmed that "Avatar" cost at least $230 million to make.

Featured below is a new featurette on the film that focuses on Colonel Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang. He talks about his relationship with Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington) and how they end up at odds with each other.



"Avatar" hits theaters on Dec. 18.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, Latino Review

'New Moon' Beats 'Dark Knight' For Opening Day Record

There were no early bedtimes for Twihards as the second film in the "Twilight" series, "New Moon," opened at midnight on Thursday.

The hysterically-anticipated sequel was greeted by its largely female audience with screams, cheers and tears as they flocked to see the movie. Some girls reportedly clutched handbags rattling with bottles of prescription tranquillizers so they could make it through the film without uncontrollable frenzy or fainting fits.

And the fans' dedication paid off. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" proved to be more of an eclipse in its theatrical debut, breaking two box office records before this weekend is even over.

According to reports for the U.S. box office, the vampire romance set a new record for a midnight opening, taking $26.27 million and beating "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"'s $22.2 million from July 15, which had itself beat the previous record set by "The Dark Knight"'s $18.4 million from July 18 last year.

The film's Friday performance (including the Thursday midnight showings that went into the early hours of Friday) went on to take the record for best opening day with $72.7 million, beating "The Dark Knight" which had earned $67.2 million. The first "Twilight" only made $7 million at its midnight showings and $36 million on its first day.

The signs of a big success were there earlier, with Fandango selling more than ten tickets per second on its Web site on Friday, while MovieTickets.com said "New Moon" now held its record for the highest number of advance ticket sales.

MovieTickets.com said the film had snatched the No. 1 spot from "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," surpassing blockbuster film franchises including "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" on its way to set the new record.

MovieTickets.com president Joel Cohen said: "By landing the No. 1 spot on our advance ticket sellers list, 'New Moon' has broken a record that has stood unchallenged for almost five years.

"While this achievement is significant, it comes as little surprise considering the film's dedicated fanbase and the growing trend of purchasing advance tickets online for highly anticipated films such as the 'Twilight' series."

What do you think of the box-office success of the "Twilight" films so far and what do you expect from next year’s installment?

Directed by Chris Weitz, "New Moon" stars Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Ashley Greene – it’s playing everywhere currently. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" opens June 30, 2010 and is directed by David Slade.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, The Geek Files, Deadline Hollywood, Box Office Mojo

'Underworld 4' Gets a Writer

The Hollywood Reporter states that John Hlavin, a writer from the series "The Shield," has signed on to write the script for "Underworld 4."

Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films and poster girl of the franchise has yet to sign on for the film and there is still no director attached either.

However, Hlavin does confirm that the film is a sequel and that it will definitely appeal to fans of the first movies.

“I can tell you it’s not a prequel," he said. "It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”

What we also know about the franchise as reported in August is that "Underworld 4" will be in 3-D, it will kickstar a second trilogy of films for the franchise and it will likely bring back Kate Beckinsale. It's been reported that the movies will again center on Beckinsale’s character of Selene, so none of this comes as a shock.

Don’t be surprised to find out in the near future that Kate will be back. There’s been no talk of Scott Speedman and his character Michael Corvin however. And how can you have Selene without her lycan/vampire hybrid boyfriend?

Sony is hoping to have this ready be January 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

Idris Elba Joins Cast of 'Thor' as Heimdall

The big-screen adaptation of Marvel’s "Thor" keeps on making headlines, as today we have news of another choice actor being added to the already impressive cast.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Thor" has added British actor Idris Elba to the lineup. He will portray Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge to Asgard. In Marvel’s “Thor” mythology, Heimdall is also the brother of Sif.

Elba (“The Wire,” "The Office," "Obsessed") — recently finished filming his part in “The Losers”, an adaptation of the Vertigo comic by Andy Diggle and Jock.

“Thor” includes Chris Hemsworth in the title role, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Jamie Alexander as Sif and Ray Stevenson, Stuart Townsend and Tadanobu Asano as the Warriors Three. Colm Feore and Stellan Skarsgard have also been confirmed to appear in the film in currently unspecified roles.

Shooting on "Thor" is due to begin in mid-January in California. The film is set for release on May 20, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: MTV News, Screen Rant

Movie News Mash 29

The Last Days of American Crime
Sam Worthington has signed on to appear in the film adaptation of Rick Remender's upcoming miniseries “The Last Days of American Crime."

Created and written by Remender with artist Greg Tocchini, “Last Days” takes place in the near future where the U.S. government is about to implement a new technology that will make it impossible for anyone to commit a crime. Following the revelation of this plan, a downtrodden career criminal named Graham Brick is forced to quickly assemble a team to help him pull off what may be the last heist in American history.

According to Mania.com, Worthington will portray Kevin Cash, a safecracker recruited by Brick who may be a dangerously unstable sociopath.

After his turn as the Human/Terminator hybrid Marcus Wright in last summer’s “Terminator: Salvation”, Worthington’s next film will be James Cameron's “Avatar." Worthington will also star in next year’s remake of the fantasy film “Clash of the Titans.”

Remender teased that more casting announcements were on the way: "The people that they're bringing in are all big A-list Hollywood people." I can't wait to see who else is joining this project in addition to Worthington.
(MTV News)

Iron Man 2
Twitter has become a huge source for updates and a valuable resource for keeping in touch with filmmakers. A new update from director Jon Favreau's Twitter pertains to the anticipated "Iron Man 2" trailer. He tweeted a reply to a user confirming that the "Iron Man 2" trailer would be attached to "Sherlock Holmes," meaning it would debut on Christmas Day.

The filmmaker has been all over Twitter talking about the sequel. "Digital animated shots starting to come in. The movie is beginning to take on it's final look," he tweeted on Sunday, November 15.
(First Showing, Ace Showbiz)

Guardians of Ga'hoole
Zack Snyder's 3-D animated adaptation of the children's book series "Guardians of Ga'hoole" was announced in early 2008, but there was only some minor casting news then.

Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that the cast will be headlined by Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham, and Weaving. These guys will be joined by the likes of Aussie folks Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Jay Laga'aia, and Kwanten. PLUS -- three Brit actors with Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, and Jim Sturgess. Unfortunately, there's no cast rundown of who will voice who, and with that many names, I'm not even going to try guessing.

This impressive voice cast will bring characters to life in the story of Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. After Soren is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, a place where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers, he and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s.

The series contains 11 books, but the film will condense the first three together. So if any more films are to follow there won't be 11 movies in all. The film is currently in post-production aiming to meet a release date in fall of 2010.
(First Showing, Cinematical)

New 'Avatar' Featurette

IGN UK debuted a new featurette for James Cameron's "Avatar." It's titled Human Hardware and is an impressive featurette looking at the design, development and usage of the various machines that the humans use.



Those badass mech AMP units really remind me of those other machines seen in "Matrix Revolutions." But I guess these ones are supposedly more technologically advanced and shiny than those.

"Avatar" hits theaters Dec. 18.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: First Showing

'The Wolfman' Being Recut

Out of all the big films scheduled for release next year, the one I’m most concerned about is "The Wolfman." I'm excited to see it after watching the badass trailer, but production on "Wolfman" has been plagued from the get-go.

A change in directors, callbacks for re-designs in the creature effects and several delays… It all points to a studio trying to turn a profit from a film that it didn't think would do well otherwise.

It looks like "Wolfman" is still reeling from those problems as new info buried deep in a Variety article (found by SlashFilm) says editors Mark Goldblatt and Walter Murch have been brought in to help salvage this monster of a movie.

I'm starting to wonder how much involvement director Joe Johnston has in these decisions, and whether or not the film will be close to resembling the original vision of the film. Either way, Goldblatt and Murch will be fresh eyes on the project and their extensive editing work speaks for itself.

Goldblatt has had quite the experience in the editing chair having put together both of James Cameron's "Terminator" films, as well as putting together the frantic, abundance of dailies from director Michael Bay's films like "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor." Meanwhile, Murch has won Acaedmy Awards for sound editing on "Apocalypse Now," and film editing for "Cold Mountain," in addition to displaying stellar work as editor and sound editor of films like "The Conversation" and "The English Patient."

While this might not seem all that urgent, this is quite a big deal to rework an entire film this late in the game ("Wolfman" is scheduled for release in three months). I don’t know what kind of mess the film is in, but I am certain that Murch and Goldblatt working together will result in at least a watchable (if not entertaining) film.

What do you think about the editors brought in to recut the film? Good sign or bad?

"The Wolfman" howls into theaters on February 10, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Screen Rant

'Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief' Trailer

20th Century Fox has released a new international trailer for director Chris Columbus' fantasy adventure, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief." The fantasy-adventure stars Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman and Ray Winstone.

Besides having a really long title, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" looks like it can be the start of a new franchise.

Based on Rick Riordan's best-selling children's novel, the film follows Poseidon's son, a 12-year-old boy, who sets out on a quest in present-day America to rescue his mother, return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a civil war from erupting among the gods.



"Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" hits theaters February 12, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Coming Soon

Rob Marshall Confirmed as 'POTC 4' Director

So it was first rumored a few months ago that Oscar nominated director Rob Marshall ("Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha") might be taking over Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise in place of Gore Verbinski.

Since then we’ve found out the name of the film ("On Stranger Tides") and that it’s based on a book. "PotC4" is to be based on a 22-year-old book also called “On Stranger Tides” by author Tim Powers, using the plot of the search for the Fountain of Youth. It’s a very fitting thing to build a story around for a "Pirates" movie, and with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley unlikely to be back for the film, it means they can use that plot to concentrate on Captains Jack and Barbossa.

According to a tipster over at AICN who attended a DGA screening of Marshall’s latest, "Nine," Marshall replied to a question about what his next project would be by name-dropping "Pirates of the Caribbean." Here’s what he said:

“‘Y’know, it’s something that I was offered and never in the world thought I would do but then I was like ‘why not?’… I’m doing ‘ Pirates of the Caribbean….”

On top of that, another nice little piece of info that might be of interest to you Captain Jack Sparrow/Depp fans out there is that Marshall said he, “had a wonderful meeting [with Depp] and that they’re both excited to work together.”

While that's hardly an official confirmation from Disney, it does sound like Marshall is on-board as long as Disney gets this into production in 2010 as originally planned.

But Marshall is a director of glorious, gorgeous musicals, not gritty action-adventure movies, so I have no clue how he's going to handle a project this epic.
I’m not going to lie and say he's an excellent choice. I really have no idea. He’s most definitely not the first name I would think of to pick up the reigns after Gore Verbinski left. However, it’s refreshing to see Disney think outside of the box and get a director who you wouldn’t immediately think of. I really hope Marshall can bring something new to the table and drag this franchise out of the confusing and uninspired pit it wallowed in with the second and third movies.

What do you think of Marshall apparently being the one todirect "Pirates of the Caribbean 4"? Would he be your first choice?

"Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides" is supposedly to start shooting next Spring, and has a general release date set of Summer 2011.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Screen Rant

Warriors Three Cast for 'Thor'

The Warriors Three in Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" movie have been cast, according to Variety, with Stuart Townsend ("The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") as Fandral the Dashing, Ray Stevenson ("Punisher: War Zone") playing Volstagg the Valiant and Tadanobu Asano ("Mongol") portraying Hogun the Grim.

The Warriors Three was a group of Asgardian warriors comprised of ladies' man Fandral, the pessimistic Hogun, and the cowardly Volstagg (but the film could go with the more modern version of Volstagg, who is more fearless).The trio are from Marvel's comic books and are not part of Norse mythology.
They join the already impressive cast headlined by Chris Hemsworth as the title character followed by Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Colm Feore, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins. I mean, it's not hard to look at this line-up and already have expectations even if the idea of a hammer-wielding hero sent to Earth to protect mankind seems a little bit like a risky venture.

"Thor" is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in mid-January, then move to Santa Fe, New Mexico from March till late-April. The film is set to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, Rope of Silicon, UGO Movie Blog, The Geek Files

'20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' Dead in the Water

According to Variety, Warner Bros. has halted moving forward with their remake of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." On top of that, McG, who was set to direct, is off the project, and will now concentrate on other things such as the Warner Bros. drama, "Dead Spy Running."

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" seemed to be moving ahead pretty well, with a tentative shooting start of February, 2010. McG even said not that long ago that they’d already looked at different shooting locations including Japan, France and Canada. The "Terminator Salvation" director sounded pretty enthusiastic back in August when he talked about such things as how he was planning on contemporizing the story while still maintaining the spirit of adventure from the original 1870 story and 1950’s movie.

There’s no real word on why Disney has halted "20,000 Leagues," nor why McG has left the project. Apart from having a director, no cast was set.

Are you surprised Disney has put a halt on their "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" remake? I know I am. And I was looking forward to a reimagining of the classic tale (even though I am usually against remakes).

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

'New Moon' Breaks Fandago Records

Even though there are still 5 more days before Summit Entertainmnent's vampire pic "New Moon," based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling book, hits theaters on November 20, the film has already leaped over previous record-holders to become the top-selling pre-release title in Fandango's 10-year history. The new record for Fandango's fastest-selling film was set on Saturday night after 8:00 PM.

The Top 5 Advance Ticket-Sellers on Fandango are now as follows:
1. New Moon (2009)
2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Twilight (2008)

The latest chapter of "The Twilight Saga" is currently accounting for 86% of weekly ticket sales on Fandango, the nation's leading movie ticketing destination. Thousands of Thursday night midnight showtimes for "New Moon" are already sold out across the country. Yet "New Moon" tickets continue to be available. To meet the fan demand, the nation's top theater owners are regularly posting brand new showtimes on additional screens.

"For many fans, it's the year's most anticipated film event," Fandango COO Rick Butler said. "Ever since tickets went on sale in September, it's been among our top five weekly ticket-sellers, as New Moon has a strong pull on audiences. We're seeing a higher-than-usual number of tickets per transaction for this film, suggesting that moviegoers will show up en masse at theaters this weekend with their friends and family."

According to a recent Fandango survey of 2,000+ "New Moon" ticket-buyers:
-- 98% say the action in "New Moon" looks better than the action in "Twilight"
-- 72% plan to see the movie with a group of three friends/ or more.
-- 52% of survey respondents say they dream about vampires.
-- 22% are mothers and daughters planning to see "New Moon" together
-- 10% plan to show up at the theater dressed as the saga characters.

That middle one astonishes me. Over half of the people who bought tickets for "New Moon"'s Thursday night showing dream about vampires. I mean, yeah, guys dream about teenage girls, but they don't dress up like them or want to be them.
Now the question is whether "New Moon" can break through to the top 100 grossing movies of all time. "Twilight" wasn't able to grab a spot on the list, making only $383 million, while the lowest spot is "Die Another Day" with $432 mil. But the first of the series also wasn't trouncing beloved flicks like "The Dark Knight."

What do you think will happen when the werewolves and vampires descend upon the theaters this week? Wait...we already know it will be a box office success.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood, Cinematical

'Hack/Slash' Gets a New Writer

The last time we heard about the upcoming adaptation of the comic series "Hack/Slash," producers Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alte spoke about the film at the 2009 Scream Awards last month. The only other news for this film came in July, confirming that Fredrik Bond was attached as director.

Now comes word that a new writer has been chosen to replace screenwriter Justin Marks ("Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li") -- and according to Bloody Disgusting, that person is Stephen Susco.

Susco will pen the comic adaptation about a girl, Cassie Hack, who travels the country with her mysterious bodyguard, Vlad, hunting and killing "slashers," including the likes of Chucky from the Child's Play series and Herbert West from Re-Animator. Susco's previous projects include the American version of "The Grudge" as well as its sequel, and is currently working on the next film in the Leatherface franchise, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3-D."

Though the film is likely still a long way off, I would really like to know who will be playing the lead role. So, let's hear it: who do you want to play killer-cutie Cassie Hack?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Cinemablend

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon - When Bella's blood is shed at her birthday celebration, Edward's intense reaction to the event causes his parents to pull up stakes and leave Forks, Washington for the sake of the young lovers. Heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black (Lautner). Danger in different forms awaits.

Planet 51 - The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Chuck Baker (voice of The Rock) arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, he has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and try to return home.

The Blind Side - A disadvantaged teenager is taken in by a conservative family who see tremendous promise in the young man. Despite certain obstacles, the attention and inspiration he receives helps him mature into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospect.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Star Trek
Gone With the Wind: 70th Anniversary Edition
Bruno
My Sister's Keeper
Fight Club: Blu-ray Special Edition

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 2012$65.0 M

2 Disney's A Christmas Carol $22.3 M

3 The Men Who Stare at Goats $6.2 M

4 Precious$6.0 M

5 Michael Jackson's This Is It $5.1 M

6 The Fourth Kind $4.7 M

7 Couples Retreat $4.2 M

8 Paranormal Activity $4.2 M

9 Law Abiding Citizen $3.9 M

10 The Box $3.1 M

The end of the world proved to be a massive attraction for moviegoers as Roland Emmerich's "2012" opened this weekend with an earth-shattering $225 million at the worldwide box office.

Ticket sales in the US and Canada brought in $65 million, with a foreign tally of $160 million from 105 countries.

Sony's Columbia Pictures said the film scored the highest worldwide opening for an original film not based on an established franchise, brand or best-seller.

In global terms, it ranks No. 9 for film openings, behind (from No. 1-8) "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Spider-Man 3," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "The Da Vinci Code."

It surpassed June's worldwide opening for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" but not that film's North American opening of $109 million.

The foreign box office opening for "2012" is the fifth highest of all time. The North American box office opening is marginally below the $68 million for Emmerich's 2004 disaster flick "The Day After Tomorrow," but beat the American debuts of all other movies in the disaster genre including the filmmaker's "Independence Day" from 1996 and "Godzilla" from 1998.

Other films are just surviving the earthquakes and floods. They made some money while worrying about what happens when it really is the year 2012.
Well, NASA is here to quell those fears!

The Truth about 2012 from NASA Lunar Science Institute on Vimeo.

Next weekend, the female audience flocks to "New Moon." Will that film survive the end of the world?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: The Geek Files