We may know very little about Christopher Nolan's third "Batman" movie, but now we do know its release date.
As announced by Production Weekly and listed on Box Office Mojo, Warner Bros. Pictures has set a July 20, 2012 release date for the follow-up to "The Dark Knight" in conventional and IMAX theaters. Adding to the plot - Deadline reports the film is expected to be made in 3D.
While the release date has been set, there is no official start of production date as Nolan is busy with his latest film, "Inception," which arrives in theaters on July 16.
It looks like the summer of 2012 is going to be one hell of a big blockbuster bonanza, especially in the comic book arena. "Batman 3" will hit theaters two and a half months after Marvel Studios' "The Avengers" debuts in May and roughly two weeks after Sony's "Spider-Man" reboot launches in early July.
Sooner than later I'm sure that a script, at least the first draft, will be turned in and we can start the rampant speculation on who the villain will be, not to mention casting rumors that will hit as we slowly but surely move closer to the start of shooting.
Nolan's second Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," opened July 18, 2008 and earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Will the third "Batman" film prove to be as successful if not more so? And how will it compare to the success of "Avatar"?
Fans of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, myself included, will surely react one way or another to the news being reported by both Heat Vision and Deadline saying Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road are in discussions to make a screen trilogy and TV series out of the fantasy series centered on Roland Deschain of Gilead and his search for The Dark Tower.
"The Dark Tower" will get a three film trilogy with Ron Howard directing, Brian Grazer producing (along with Stephen King) and Akiva Goldsman writing the script, which is where I am sure fans will surely raise their eyebrows.
The news also comes saying there will be a TV series, which is where I am assuming the decision to go with a filmed trilogy comes in as opposed to adapting all seven books. Condensing it might might be a good idea, and also a much safer one for a studio to consider rather than hoping the films will all do well enough for a seven film franchise. "The Dark Tower" is a well known franchise, but I would never say it has "Harry Potter" juice.
Here's where things get a little hazy, though. Both sites reporting this news seem to be unsure if Universal will actually move forward with this or not. Heat Vision thinks this could still end up as a TV series, saying that "one scenario" has the movie leading into a TV series, kind of similar to "Stargate." On the other hand, Deadline says that Universal is "in talks" to acquire a package deal that includes the books and this team of producers/writer/director, but Warner Bros is in the running, too.
Obviously all of this is coming together as we speak, so if you're a fan of this series (like me), you'll have to wait for confirmation on all of the exact details. TO say the least - I am very interested as to where this all may going.
"The Dark Tower" is Stephen King's own take on spaghetti westerns and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." They books focus on Roland Deschain, the last living member of a knightly order of gunslingers who exists in a world that has an Old West feel, but which is infused with magic. He is on a quest to find the Dark Tower, a structure that holds the key to the nexus of all universes. He meets many allies and enemies along the way, as the world crumbles around him. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest series of all time and I consider myself a hardcore fan.
Yahoo Movies has the first image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor from the upcoming live-action movie. While the image is cropped in a unique way, it still gives us a great idea of how Hemsworth will look as Marvel's god of thunder.
There's a larger version of the image over at Yahoo, but what does the image tell us about the character's much-anticipated big-screen debut?
Well, for one, it looks like the costume Thor will be using in the film is based more upon Marvel's mainstream "Thor" series rather than the "Ultimate" version of Thor. Hemsworth - previously seen as Kirk's doomed dad in "Star Trek" - is in scale-mail armor and a red cape, just like some of the depictions in Marvel's comics.
This is especially interesting, given that many of the other Marvel movie characters have used the publisher's "Ultimate" universe as source material.
While we don't get to see Thor's magical hammer, Mjolnir, you can definitely bet it will be in the film and in Thor's godly hands. Why do you think the image is cropped so that we don't see his hands?
Kenneth Branagh is directing the film, which hits theaters May 6, 2011. It also stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the deity's father Odin and Tom Hiddleston as Thor's evil half-brother Loki. Natalie Portman will play Thor's earthly love interest Jane Foster.
What do you think of Chris Hemsworth's "Thor" look? More news to come! Catch ya' later! Sources: MTV News, The Geek Files
Warner Bros. Pictures has released the trailer for "Jonah Hex" starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Michael Shannon, Will Arnett, and Megan Fox.
I really like the overall look and film of the film from the trailer, but obviously Megan Fox is the one sore spot and will be the real reason people might not take this film seriously. Also - I do hope the film isn't all action and then one-liners. While some of them were cool (coming from Brolin as Jonah Hex), I just want to slap Megan Fox to make her keep quiet.
Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone... and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, "Jonah Hex" is an epic adventure thriller about one man's personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.
What did you think of the trailer? Does the movie seem better than you’d expected, or worse than you feared?
"Jonah Hex" hits theaters on June 18, 2010. More news to come! Catch ya' later! Sources: Screen Rant, Latino Review
STARMAN According to Pajiba, Warner Bros is developing a big-screen adaptation of Starman, a name that has represented numerous DC Comics superheroes since the first version appeared in 1941. The character uses a staff called a 'gravity rod' (or 'cosmic rod') to fly and manipulate energy.
Producers Dan Lin ("Sherlock Holmes") and Gregory Noveck ("Jonah Hex") are developing the project, which doesn't yet have a writer or director.
It would be the second DC intergalactic hero to be adapted for film following Warner's "Green Lantern" movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds and is set for release in June 2011. (The Geek Files) COMMANDO 20th Century Fox has signed "Training Day" scripter David Ayer to write and direct a remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Commando" with word Ayer will put his own real-world spin on the original story centered on a retired elite special forces operative sees his daughter kidnapped and is told she'll die unless he gets on a plane and kills the rival of a nasty exiled dictator. In the original, Schwarzenegger jumped off the plane before takeoff, and killed everyone involved in the kidnap plot. Ayer’s protagonist will be less brawny, but more skilled in covert tactics and weaponry.
MAGIC 8-BALL Deadline reports that Paramount has extended its relationship with toy maker Mattel – after collaborating on "Transformers," "GI Joe" and the upcoming "Max Steel" – by optioning "Magic 8-Ball" for the big-screen. The deal has been put in place by Paramount President Adam Goodman and will also be produced by Brad Weston, with Mattel’s Tim Kilpin and Barry Waldo exec producing.
There’s no details on the plot or even the overall style of the "Magic 8-Ball" flick other than it’s a live-action adventure movie. But my assumption upon hearing this news is that somehow shaking the little ball causes things to happen in the real world, a la "Jumanji" style. (Screen Rant)
Looking back at it, that title doesn't make a lot of sense. But I like it anyway. Moving on to the news!
Bill Condon has been officially announced as the director of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn," the final chapter in the franchise.
Condon won an Oscar for the screenplay of his 1999 film "Gods and Monsters." He also directed "Dreamgirls" and "Kinsey" and produced the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony with Hugh Jackman as host.
Summit Entertainment's announcement added that "Breaking Dawn" - expected to be split into two films - is currently being scripted by Melissa Rosenberg. It's set for release sometime in 2011.
Erik Feig, Summit's president of production, said: "Bringing Stephenie Meyer's 'Breaking Dawn' to the screen requires a graceful and intelligent hand and we believe Bill Condon is exactly the right steward, having shown equal and abundant talents of immense creativity and subtle sensitivity."
Meyer said: "I'm so thrilled that Bill wants to work with us. I think he's going to be a great fit, and I'm excited to see what he does with the material."
In an official statement, Condon said: "I'm very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen.
"As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book - and we're hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience."
Bringing "Breaking Dawn" to screen will require a graceful hand? It's a one-of-a-kind book? Yeah...we know. Do I have to go over what the fourth book is about again? With the violent vampire sex and super vampire baby powers (not to mention the fang c-section and werewolf pedophilia)?
Seriously, I'm glad they got a director, but this is "Twilight" folks. And this is the guy who made "Dreamgirls."
Actually - this makes far more sense to me than bringing in "30 Days of Night" helmer David Slade for "Eclipse." The "Twilight" franchise has its share of action, but it is, at its core, a romance aimed at a female audience and Slade comes off as a director more geared to blood soaked violence than teen-angsty pondering.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are developing the inevitable "Clash of the Titans 2" (the first film has made $389 million in just under four weeks on a budget of $125 million) and director Louis Leterrier will not be calling the shots.
Leterrier had hoped to make a trilogy following the story of Perseus by introducing other gods, characters and monsters. Leterrier will stay on as an executive producer. Insiders have insisted his exit from the director's chair was "harmonious" and that he "wasn't of a mind to rush into another installment."
According to Deadline, studio bosses are moving ahead with the sequel and hope to release it with a new director by Spring of 2010.
Sam Worthington will be back, along with most of the other actors whose characters survived the events of the first film.
"Green Lantern" co-writer Greg Berlanti is working out the storyline and the studio is already looking for a new writer and director so it can get moving before Worthington starts filming the "Avatar" sequel.
One advantage to a sequel is the possibility of the studios actually filming it in 3D, instead of rushing the post-production conversion. The film was an action epic with some massive sequences, but the 3D conversion has garnered the film terrible word of mouth.
I don't know where the film will go or what will happen, but I can only hope it is better than the first. I saw it in 2D (thankfully) and did not enjoy it. It kind of felt like a major letdown on action (I was also trying to look for some plot and character development too - though I probably shouldn't have expected it from a film like this).
Does the prospect of "Clash of the Titans 2" give you hope for the franchise or do you think Sam Worthington should just move on to other films? More news to come! Catch ya' later! Sources:Screen Rant, The Geek Files
"How to Train Your Dragon" has brought in over $370 million at the worldwide box office and was the No. 1 film this past weekend (its fifth weekend out).
With strong weekends at the box office and strong critical praise, the automatic and obvious response of Dreamworks studio is to start development of a sequel.
In their financial results press release, DreamWorks announced its plans for a second film in 2013 and labeled "How to Train Your Dragon" their “next franchise.”
Honestly, with all the success and positive word of mouth its received, I can't say I'm surprised. And with the "Shrek" franchise fading (the final chapter, "Shrek Forever After," arrives this summer) they'll need another good bankable series to fill theaters.
While I really did love "How to Train Your Dragon," I don’t know what the sequel could be about. (SPOILERS) We already know how to train a dragon, we’ve already had the relationship and discovery between Hiccup and Toothless (not to mention Hiccup's relationship with his father and Astrid as well). The big bad villain was defeated, the dragons and vikings are best pals, and both Hiccup and Toothless are handicapable (is that term pc?).
The first film took audiences on a complete journey with plenty of heart and lessons to be learned. How can they recapture that sense of discovery while presenting something not only new and fresh, but on the same level of quality?
I hope it can be done and we’ll find out in three years.
What do you think "How to Train Your Dragon 2" could be about? I imagine it’ll have a different title since the training is...well...over. More news to come! Catch ya' later! Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing
I have an exam I need to study for and loads more work to get done. But movie news never stops, so below I am providing a ton of links to several different news stories.
If you're interested in the topic, head over to those sites and read on. I'll go study and be back up to full speed on this blog as soon as I can.
News - the prequel to John Carpenter's "The Thing" is paying close attention to detail and according to the screenwriter will lead perfectly into the original film.
News - the Japanese horror remake "The Ring" was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but now a third film is being planned to bring the franchise into the next dimension.
Please Give - A Manhattan couple (Platt and Keener) find their plan to expand their apartment complicated when they bond with Andra (Guilbert), their elderly neighbor next door.
A Nightmare on Elm Street - Disfigured serial killer Freddy Krueger (Haley) stalks a group of young people in their dreams, forcing them to remain awake as the only alternative to death.
Furry Vengeance - A real estate developer (Fraser) looking to turn a forest into new homes faces some unusually tough competition: the local woodland creatures.
Low numbers this weekend. In fact, it's the smallest box office take so far this year. Expect numbers to jump drastically in the next upcoming weeks.
"How To Train Your Dragon," which actually lost to "Kick-Ass" last weekend when the final numbers were tallied, grew back its wings and soared to No. 1 again with about $355 million in the bank worldwide.
The GMA (general movie audience) continue to show just how stupid they really are. Jennifer Lopez's "The Back-Up Plan" came in 2nd with an estimated $12.2 million. Are people really missing Jennifer Lopez and are desperate enough that they'd actually pay to see her on screen in a below average rom-com? I really shouldn't be baffled by this since I know people who would see films like this.
Meanwhile, the other new release, that was actually fun to watch, came in 4th place with $9.6 million. "The Losers" lost big at the box office, making it the second comic book adaptation in two weeks to not reach studio expectations.
"Date Night" stayed in third place. I still haven't seen it and will probably catch it when it hits DVD. And if someone else pays for the rental. "Kick-Ass" had a 50 percent drop in box office and fell from No. 1 to No. 5 in its second week. So much for word of mouth. So far it has made $56 million worldwide.
Finally got around to seeing the "Clash of the Titans" remake. I'm a sucker for plot and character development - which this film had little of.
Disneynature's second film to be released, "Oceans," did a respectable $6.0 million. I need to see this movie, it looks really cool. I like nature documentaries about Oceans. My favorite parts are when they show fish swimming in the water.
"Alice in Wonderland" fills out the last slot for the Top Ten, but expect it to be gone next weekend as "Nightmare on Elm Street" scares its way into theaters along with some random films that no one heard of. (Latino Review)
As you're probably already aware, a sequel is on the way to the terrible 2007 film, "Ghost Rider."
Nicolas Cage, star of the first "Ghost Rider," has been expressing a lot of interest in returning for the sequel - even sharing his ideas for where the next film should take the character.
Sadly, a Nicolas Cage sequel may not be in the cards. Vulture reports that Cage may be unable to commit to "Ghost Rider 2" and Columbia is left with a deadline of November 14,2010. Which means that if production hasn’t started on "Ghost Rider 2" by that time then the rights revert back to Marvel (and subsequently their new owner, Disney).
Columbia is struggling to get the actor to commit to the sequel over another project that might offer a bigger paycheck – namely "National Treasure 3" (coincidentally a Disney franchise).
Sony (Columbia) desperately needs a tentpole blockbuster for 2011 since the "Spider-Man" reboot is now set for 2012. Although the first "Ghost Rider" didn’t break any box office records or garner much critical success, it still made $230 million (double its production budget) – so it’s still possible for the sequel to do well.
While Cage probably wasn't the best choice, fans now recognize associate him with the character. Bringing in both a new director and main actor is going to make the sequel feel more like a reboot.
Although producer Mike De Luca said that "Ghost Rider 2" will be like “pushing the reset button”, the film is still expected to be a direct successor – and not an all out reboot of the franchise.
I’m probably not the only one who thought "Ghost Rider" was a huge disappointment (to put it mildly) and how much or how little Cage contributed to that is up for debate.
Would I be upset if Cage didn’t return? To be honest, no. I would rather they flat out reboot it (in the same vein as the "Hulk" franchise) and cast another actor in the role. But that’s just me.
Would you be upset if Cage didn’t return for "Ghost Rider 2"? Who else would you want to see star in the leading role?
If Columbia goes ahead with the movie (with or without Cage) before their deadline runs out, then you could see the sequel in theaters sometime in 2011 – mostly likely the summer.
Some pretty sweet clips of "Iron Man 2" have come online and are presented below for your viewing pleasure.
Suitcase Armor Remember that wicked sweet ending to the latest "Iron Man 2" trailer where Stark puts on his suitcase armor? Well, here's about a full minute of that scene with Stark duking it out with Whiplash on the Monaco Race Track.
Thieves and Butchers Taking place after the Monaco Race Track scene, Stark confronts new villain Whiplash and learns the two men have a dark history together.
Natalie Rushman Stark is looking for a new secretary now that Pepper Potts is CEO of Stark Industries (more about that below) and finds an alluring one in Natalie Rushman. Little does he know what secrets she keeps - and hopefully Happy Hogan doesn't pick a fight with the Black Widow.
Pushing the boundaries on kid friendly with that modeling shot maybe?
Anthony, is that you? Introducing Justin Hammer, Stark's least favorite person on Earth. Along for the ride is a familiar face from the first film along with some witty comments and the revelation that Pepper Potts is now CEO of Stark Industries.
Again - pushing the bondaries of kid friend;y with some of those comments maybe? Adults will love it (I know I do), but just saying...Aw what the hell, the kids won't get it anyway. Bring on the adult humor!
"The Last Airbender" is without a doubt one of my most anticipated movies of 2010 and now a new trailer has been released to help fuel that fire of anticipation even further.
Based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, the film brings things to live-action life as our main character, Aang, a young successor to a long line of “Avatars,” seeks to stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air Nations. It stars Noah Ringer (Aang), Jackson Rathbone (Sokka), Dev Patel (Zuko), Nicola Peltz (Katara), Cliff Curtis (Firelord Ozai) and Jessica Andres (Suki).
The effects and action seen in the trailer are pretty awesome and make me even more excited to see this in theaters. Though I plan on seeing it in 2D. Even though it was only announced a few days ago that "Last Airbender" was going to be converted into 3D, the people behind the trailer were able to tack on a 3D claimer at the very end - man, that was quick.
"The Last Airbender" hits theaters July 2, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Screen Rant
Summit Entertainment has released the final trailer for the third chapter in the "Twilight" franchise, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning and Anna Kendrick.
However, David Slade ("30 Days of Night") is holding the directorial reins this time around and -- if the new "Eclipse" trailer is any indication -- has raised the action quotient significantly from the previous "Twilight" films.
Why the look and feel of this trailer shows "Eclipse" will be faster and darker than its predecessors, let's not forget the love triangle is at the center of the plot.
In "Eclipse," Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
So while the trailer may be action packed, it is a bit misleading in making you think it will be all action. I expect there to be some action with lots of heavy looking-down and moping moments.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" hits theaters on June 30, 2010. Sources: Latino Review, Screen Rant
I thought the days of writing about "Avatar" breaking all sorts of records (No. domestic film, No. 1 worldwide film, No. 1 several weeks in a row, etc.). were over.
But now that the film has come out on DVD and Blu-ray it's breaking records in that medium as well.
From 20th Century Fox comes the news that first day sales of "Avatar" on Blu-ray came in at 1.5 million units, beating out the previous record of 600,000 set by "The Dark Knight."
Just think about that for a second – "The Dark Knight" was one of the most popular movies we’ve ever seen and the amount of people who bought it first day on Blu-ray was quite amazing. But along comes "Avatar" and trumps Batman by more than DOUBLE that amount.
What kind of sucks for all those people who bought the film is that is the only thing they got. No commentaries, making-of featurettes, no special features at all.
For people who actually want to see those and the movie, they will have to wait for the already planned four-disc ultimate edition due out this November. So my advice is if you don’t want to pay twice for the same movie, then hold on to your hard-earned cash for that full release.
Hopefully my next post on anything "Avatar" will not be about that film and will be about news on the upcoming sequel.
More news to come! Catch ya' later! Source: Screen Rant
Sony has officially delayed the release of Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen's "Green Hornet" until January 14th, 2011, which is three weeks back from December 22nd.
The film has already been the target of rumors citing production problems, to which Sony Pictures Entertainment Vice-Chair and marketing/distribution kingpin Jeff Blake says, "We're investing more in the film to have it 3D. We've seen part of the movie. We love it. We believe in it. Whoever is spreading these rumors has not seen it."
Although some claim the film is "unreleasable," Sony's vice-chair Jeff Blake says that's all just BS. They're converting it to 3D because "We've seen part of the movie. We love it. We believe in it. Whoever is spreading these rumors has not seen it. We're going to finish 'Green Hornet' in 3D and take 9 months to do it right."
Deadline Hollywood reports that Sony is using the term "3D enhancements" because they claim that since they haven't finished any visual effects, and therefore "it's not a 3D conversion but an enhancement, and there's already 'great depth and scope' to the shots from director Michel Gondry."
I guess they really don't want us to think of this as one of those terrible 3D conversions like "Clash of the Titans."
If it has so much depth and such amazing visuals, why does it need to be in 3D? Perhaps I'm the only one wondering this and Sony really isn't spending a little bit of extra dough to go the 3D route to make 1.5 times the dollars at the box-office. Just me I guess.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount is working with Stereo D — the company used by James Cameron for "Avatar" — on the 3D conversion of "The Last Airbender," which will not be pushed back from its original release date of July 2,2010.
Shyamalan was reportedly in favor of converting "The Last Airbender" to 3D from the start, before finally convincing the studio to make the leap after 3D tests were completed. "The Last Airbender" will be the first 3D conversion released from Paramount.
It's getting to the point where the only news about 3D should be when a film isn't heading into the third dimension. Do these films really need to be in 3D? I feel there will be enough 3D this year with all the animated films (like "Shrek Forever After" and "Toy Story 3") and big blockbusters (like "Tron Legacy").
Sigh... That's the sound I think we're going to be hearing a lot more of in the days to come when every single film that could possibly squeeze a few extra dollars out of the conversion announces their plans to go 3D.
This is some extremely unexpected news and I'm waiting to see if something official comes out soon, but here's the lowdown from First Showing.
Right out of left field comes some disappointing news for all you Jason Vorhees fans.
Bloody-Disgusting had their attention called to an exchange on Twitter between a fellow movie lover and Platinum Dunes producer Brad Fuller. When asked how the "Friday the 13th" sequel was coming along, Fuller simply said: "It is dead - not happening."
Eager to follow-up on this surprising news, Bloody Disgusting contacted Fuller who confirmed, "Right now there is no movement on 'Friday 13th: Part 2.'" Some shocking news for a film that was supposed to be released in August this year, but now appears to be dead in the waters of Crystal Lake.
The sequel to the "Friday the 13th" remake penned by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift was going to be shot in 3D and feature the return of Derek Mears as the new Jason Voorhees, but now who knows if we'll ever see a follow-up.
Fuller followed up on Twitter that explaining the dead stop is a "long story" and: "It's not my call. I would drop everything and make it today if they wanted it."
Halt on this production definitely seems strange considering the movie made $91 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, not to mention, Platinum Dunes other upcoming remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street" seems to be tracking very well so far.
Again - this just came out of nowhere and I guess should be have been expected since no news has come out about this film since last year.
UPDATE: In going by exactly what the comments to this post predict, Brad Fuller spoke more with Bloody Disgusting and said that basically if the new "Nightmare on Elm Street" does well then a "Friday the 13th" sequel will get looked at again.
PREDATORS 20th Century Fox has released another new character featurette from its upcoming film "Predators."
The featurette below focuses on the character "Isabelle" as played by Alice Braga.
"Predators" is due out on July 9, 2010 and stars Topher Grace, Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Laurence Fishburne, Derek Mears, Brian Steele, Walton Goggins. The film is directed by Nimród Antal.
STRETCH ARMSTRONG According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rob Letterman has been signed to direct "Stretch Armstrong." Letterman has previously co-directed "Shark Tale" and "Monsters vs. Aliens" for Dreamworks Animation. His first live-action film is “Gulliver’s Travels,” a comedy starring Jack Black that will be released later this year. Additionally, Nick Stoller — the director of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" — has also been signed to rewrite Steve Oedekerk's original screenplay.
The movie adaptation reportedly features Stretch Armstrong as "an uptight spy" who is accidentally exposed to chemicals that change his body and allow him to stretch to previously unimaginable lengths; effectively giving him a new weapon to fight evil while also causing havoc in his everyday life outside of espionage.
"Twilight" star Taylor Lautner is cast to play the title role of the stretchy hero. (MTV News)
MEN IN BLACK III Showbiz411 caught up with "Men in Black" director Barry Sonnenfeld who told them that Smith is already signed on and, somewhat surprisingly, Tommy Lee Jones will be returning for the sequel which, as can be assumed with any upcoming blockbuster, will be in 3D.
While I enjoyed the first "MIB" film, the second one felt forced and had weak comedy. Hopefully Etan Cohen’s ("Tropic Thunder") screenplay for "Men in Black 3" will be a significant improvement over that of "MIB2."
It is noted by Showbiz411 that Sony would really like to have this film out by Memorial Day 2011 since it lost "Spider-Man 4" and could could use a good money-maker to replace it. A third "MIB" film could be just that. (First Showing)
With debt-burdened studio MGM still facing an uncertain future, it's been announced that work has been halted on the next James Bond movie.
"Bond 23" had been slated for a 2011/2012 release with star Daniel Craig saying production would start later this year.
In a joint statement, producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: "Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on 'Bond 23' indefinitely. We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of 'Bond 23.'"
The duo took over EON Productions in 1995 from Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli, Barbara's father and Michael's stepfather. EON has produced 22 Bond films since 1962.
Director Sam Mendes was attached to helm the latest Bond film, but MGM's troubles have now become our own as the longest running film franchise in history can't get off the ground.
Of course, such a decision may be exactly what is necessary to get things moving as drastic measures can light more fires once people see things have gone from just being talk to actually showing some real world effect. However, will the troubles at MGM affect more than just 007?
In a recent interview with Moviefone, Peter Jackson spoke of the expected adaptation of "The Hobbit" to be directed by Guillermo del Toro saying, "Well, it's not really been delayed, because we've never announced the date. I mean it's sort of interesting because [MGM] has never greenlit 'The Hobbit,' so therefore 'The Hobbit' has never been officially announced as a 'go' project, nor have we ever announced a date."
As a big fan of both the Bond franchise and anything related to "Lord of the Rings," I hope something gets worked out so these films can get into production.
I’m sure we’ll be seeing 007 drinking a martini on the big screen again – it’s only a matter of time.
The Losers - After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination.
The Back-up Plan - Single gal Zoe (Lopez) meets potential husband Stan (O'Loughlin) on the day of her artificial insemination. Despite the initial spark, the two lovers begin to wonder if they're taking the right steps to an enduring romance.
UPDATE: It appeared that "Kick-Ass" failed to take home the gold medal at the box office as "How To Train Your Dragon" returned to first place after four weeks in theaters.
But Sunday's box-office estimates aren't measuring up with new numbers pegging "Kick-Ass" as the No. 1 movie of the weekend with a $19.8 million haul. "How To Train Your Dragon" earned $19.6 million, a few strides shy of its previously estimated $20-million finish.
So "Kick-Ass" did as its title says and slew the dragon. It doesn't mean much since the numbers are still low, but the No. 1 crown is psychologically important to Lionsgate, which promoted the movie heavily with hopes of discovering a franchise. Joe Drake, Lionsgate’s co-chief operating officer, appears to still have hope. “Our marketing and distribution teams have brilliantly positioned it for a long and successful run,” he said in a news release on Monday.
We may never truly understand the reason why "Kick-Ass" came in 2nd place with an estimated $19.7 million to the 4th week box office giant "How to Train Your Dragon" which came in 1st place again with $20 million.
Was it the marketing? Was it the hard 'R' rating? Was it the fact that the comic book isn't that well known to the general public? Was it Nicolas Cage's hairstyle?
The 'R' rating probably does hurt a bit, and it doesn't have the inflated 3D prices to help its box office numbers, but I figured it would have done at least $30 million. Maybe people weren't as excited about it as I thought.
And while Kick-Ass will still prove profitable for Lionsgate, the movie demonstrates the difficulty in translating online interest in a film to in-house cash. Another obscure comic-book adaptation, 2006's "300," enjoyed the same Comic-Con welcome and fan interest and opened with $70 million. So why did "Kick-Ass" not deliver on its opening weekend?
It wasn't for a lack of advertising - that's for sure. Posters and trailers galore were out for this film, nearly double than "How to Train Your Dragon." Hopefully good word of mouth will keep "Kick-Ass" as a strong contender for next week.
Even more surprising was "Clash of the Titans" getting it's head chopped off. While estimates had it losing to "Date Night" last week, it actually did come in 1st place. But now it has slid down to 5th with $15.7 million. No matter, the movie has made just over $250 million worldwide. Sequel? We shall see.
The remake of "Death at a Funeral" didn't do too bad. It came in 4th place with $17 million but don't expect it to hang out in the top ten for very long. (Latino Review, USA Today)
Sam Claflin has been selected by producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall to star in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” the fourth in the blockbuster series of films.
Claflin will star in the key role of Philip, a youthful missionary, a role said to be the film's new male heart throb, sort of the new Orlando Bloom.
Claflin is pretty much an unknown entity, but like Hayley Atwell who was recently cast as the female lead in Marvel's "The First Avenger: Captain America," he too will be seen in the Canadian miniseries "The Pillars of the Earth" alongside Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew MacFadyen and Donald Sutherland. "Pirates 4," however, marks his feature film debut.
He joins previously cast Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Stephen Graham and Astrid Berges-Frisbey.
Shooting starts in June with a release date of May 20, 2011. That doesn't give an incredible amount of time for post-production but I wouldn't mind at all if the franchise went in a bit less FX route and we just got some straight up pirate action.
Heat Vision reports that British actress Hayley Atwell will play the part of Peggy Carter, a French Resistance fighter that hooks up with Steve Rogers (Captain America) and his team of Invaders during World War II.
Luckily for us all, the casting process to pick the right Peggy wasn’t nearly as convoluted and lengthy as it was with picking who’d play Captain America. You may not know Atwell yet, but this role were certainly bring her into the world’s spotlight. She can be seen in "The Prisoner" TV series and next in the "Pillars of Earth" miniseries. Atwell also had roles in The Duchess and "Cassandra’s Dream."
The sad part about the role: it may be a one-off for the actress as Carter wouldn't make it past the WWII-portion of the film, since Cap' is expected to be frozen and resuscitated in present day.
While I've never heard of Atwell before, the cast for "Captain America" is certainly shaping up, that's for sure. Whether there will be any new major additions in the coming weeks remains to be seen.
Hayley Atwell joins Chris Evans as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Hugo Weaving as the villainous Red Skull. Are you happy with Hayley Atwell playing Peggy Carter?
"The First Avenger: Captain America" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe which is when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.
Variety also reports that if the deal does go ahead, Whedon will rewrite the script by screenwriter Zak Penn (who has worked on other Marvel projects including "X2," "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" and "The Incredible Hulk").
"The Avengers" will bring together a large group of the Marvel comics properties that have already been made into films or will be made into films over the coming years, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and potentially The Incredible Hulk (Ed Norton).
Whedon has a long association with Marvel, stemming from his four-year run with artist John Cassaday on "Astonishing X-Men" and a six-issue stint on "Runaways" with Michael Ryan. Whedon is also well known for his many genre TV series, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly" and "Dollhouse," along with the internet sensation, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."
Whedon's previous directorial credits include a recent episode of "Glee," as well as episodes of "The Office," "Buffy," "Angel" and "Firefly." Whedon made his feature film directorial debut in 2005 with "Serenity," a sci-fi western that continued the storyline from the "Firefly" TV series.
Whedon has also been previously attached to write and direct a "Wonder Woman" movie before departing the project in 2007 over creative differences.
This is a fanboys dream come true. While I cannot call myself a Whedon fanboy (I rarely watch television and that is Whedon's main medium), I did enjoy "Doctor Horrible" and I'm sure if I jumped on the "Buffy" and Firefly" bandwagons I would love those shows as well. There's just too many movies for me to watch and no free time to sit and watch entire television shows (sorry to all who worship under Whdeonism).
What do you think, is Joss up for the task of uniting the Marvel universe? Or are "The Avengers" destined to implode? Who would have been a better pick?
I've been away from anything movie news related for a while due to a massive amount of school work, but now I have returned with full blogging force!
Here are some interesting tidbits that have appeared online while I've been slaving away in projects and papers.
"Prince of Persia" Below is an excellent featurette on the film that reveals what all "Prince of Persia" fans have been wanting to see more of - parkour!
"Predators" Here are two new featurettes for "Predators," the first taking a look at Topher Grace's character, Edwin, and the second one with producer Robert Rodriguez and D\director Nimrod Antal talking about getting involved with "Predators," casting the actors and using CG in the film.
"Captain America" With all the waiting to hear about who would be cast as Captain America before Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four, Push, The Losers) was chosen, you'd figured he would have been one among many of those who audtioned. But it looks as if director Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, The Wolf Man) wanted him from the start.
“Chris didn’t audition at all.” said Johnston talking to Earths Mightiest. “I was already familiar with everything he’d done and was championing his cause, not that I had a fight from the Marvel team. They were fans of his as well. He came in to the art department to say hi, saw all the jaw-dropping art and designs on the wall and reacted the way I’d hoped he would. It was really his wonderful enthusiasm for everything he saw that cinched the deal. We have some of the best designers and illustrators in the industry working for us and the art is just incredible to wander through. He will bring the perfect balance of dramatic performance and physicality to the role."
The other question is whether Evans will be playing Steve Rogers both before and after he gets the super soldier serum. That means going from a skinny runt to a buffed up hero.
“Casting Captain America is really casting two roles…Steve Rogers before and after the transformation from 98 pound weakling to perfect physical specimen. I can’t divulge how we’re going to do it, but the performance will be Chris Evans from beginning to end. An actor playing Captain America has to embody that backstory and let it inform his understanding of his new self. One of the interesting aspects of the character is the effect that kind of total transformation would have on the his psyche. It gives the character more dimension and the actor playing him a wider range of interesting choices.”
Wonder if they're going to us CGI like they did on Sam Worthington's legs in "Avatar."
While they may not be the best known or most anticipated comic book movie adaptations out there, the upcoming "Green Hornet" film and potential "Lobo" movie definitely have their share of fans looking forward to both.
But according to IESB, both projects aren't doing well.
Word is in that Sony executives got an early look at "Green Hornet" and their reaction wasn't enthusiastic. They say that the movie is too campy, director Michel Gondry’s direction is off, and that Seth Rogen (even though he’s lost weight for the part) doesn’t work at all in the lead.
A "Lobo" film has been in the works for a while now, but with Guy Ritchie leaving to do "Sherlock Holmes 2" and Warner Bros. not apparently not to happy with how "The Losers" and "Jonah Hex" are turning out - a "Lobo" film may start sitting on the backburner.
That's some pretty shitty news on two films I was looking forward to. Then again, "Lobo" isn't a well-known character in the DC universe and "Green Hornet" was written by the same team behind "Superbad."
That's a whole lotta news and I still need to get back to school work. More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Originally titled "Grayskull," the new "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" film seems to be coming back to life.
The film has been through a lot of changes in recent years. The film was originally setup at Warner Bros. for a long time, and went through several starts and stops with different writers and possible directors hopping on and off the project. The last news about the film had it leave Warner Bros. and move to Sony (owner of Columbia Pictures).
According to Heat Vision, Mike Finch and Alex Litvak, the writers behind the upcoming "Predators" reboot, have signed on to script an adaptation of "Masters of the Universe" for Columbia.
"Masters of the Universe" is based on the Mattel toy line revolving around He-Man, a prince who transforms into a warrior and becomes the last hope for a magical land being ravaged by the evil Skeletor.
Matte has been strict in their control over the feature film and Litvak and Finch’s pitch was reportedly good enough to make Sony happy about the movie’s chances, yet faithful enough to the core brand (likely read: plenty of merchandising opportunity) to keep Mattel happy.
Still no word on when Columbia is trying to get the story of He-Man and the other heroes of Eternia onscreen for their battle against Skeletor and his minions – hopefully sooner before later.
According to SlashFilm, something awfully unusual is happening over on the set of the Green Lantern adaptation, and it's potentially going to be extremely controversial if some people disagree with it.
The suit that Ryan wears on set is a grey tracking motion/performance capture suit with led lights, similar to what Billy Crudup wore on set during "Watchmen" to look like Dr. Manhattan. That's right - Green Lantern's suit will be mostly CG!
The story is that costume designer Ngila Dickson was challenged with finding a way to create a costume that "stands apart from all of the other superheroes spandex suit designs we’ve seen in the past." And considering that the Green Lantern outfit comes from the alien ring, it needs to look "other worldly." It was Ngila's chance to do something different and also allow Hal Jordan to "change into the suit multiple times in mid-scene" which just sounds pretty damn cool if they'll be able to pull that off smoothly with CGI.
This is actually a fascinating concept which, while working thematically with the film, could also help Green Lantern stand apart from its competition in an increasingly crowded space.
What do you think of Green Lantern's costume being CGI? "Green Lantern" will hit theaters on June 17, 2011. More news to come! Catch ya' later! Sources: UGO Movie Blog, First Showing
Kick-Ass - Despite the fact that he has zero superpowers, teenage fanboy Dave Lizewski (Johnson) looks to reincarnate himself as a crime-fighting superhero named Kick-Ass, a decision that will inspire a subculture of copy cats, put his life in danger, and unite him with a similarly minded father-daughter duo (Cage and Moretz).
Death at a Funeral - A patriarch's funeral leads to a series of family arguments, revealing dark secrets and possibly murder.
Box Office results for the weekend! UPDATED: 1 Clash of the Titans $26.6 M 2 Date Night $25.2 M 3 How To Train Your Dragon $24.8 M
Despite Sunday morning studio estimates reporting "Date Night" in first, "Clash of the Titans" prevailed when actual grosses were tallied on Monday, but less than $1.8 million separated the top three movies. "Clash" came in at $26.6 million, slightly less than its $26.9 million Sunday estimate, but "Date Night" had the biggest overestimation: its actual gross was $25.2 million versus the $27.1 million that its studio, 20th Century Fox, reported Sunday morning. "How to Train Dragon" was also overestimated, landing with $24.9 million compared to its $25.4 million estimate. (Box Office Mojo)
In a clash of the dimensions, "Date Night" and "Clash of the Titans" were in a dead heat at the box office this weekend as the two films are separated by only about 50,000 tickets.
Though "Clash" is playing in 3D, it dropped 56 percent from last week. Maybe people saw how terrible it looked in 3D and told there friends, but really - it is probably worth a shot in 2D. Don't see 3D unless it was meant to be in 3D.
Meanwhile, "How to Train Your Dragon" dropped a scant 13 percent, showing that good word of mouth really can make a difference as the film has a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tyler Perry's new flick and "The Last Song" keep dropping and let's just say the word of mouth for these films probably won't be helping them in the next two or three weeks they're still around.
Other films keep petering out with "Alice in Wonderland" now around $800 million worldwide, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" at $53 million on a $15 million budget and "The Bounty Hunter somehow still in the Top Ten.
Well, at least "Kick-Ass" is coming out next week to blow up and destroy the competition. Will it be No. 1? You bet your sweet kick-ass it will!
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