Can the Economy Delay 'Green Lantern'?

Production Weekly reports that production on "Green Lantern," the Ryan Reynolds-headlining superhero film from Warner Bros. and DC Comics, is currently in jeopardy due to the financial climate in Australia, where the film is currently pegged to shoot.

"['Green Lantern's'] proposed Australian shoot is understood to be under threat after the rising Australian dollar has blown out production costs," reports Production Weekly's Twitter feed.

If the rising dollar in Australia is preventing "Green Lantern" from getting made, why doesn't Warner Bros. simply change the shooting location? Well, that might be easier said than done.

A film of "Green Lantern" size is likely to pick its city very carefully, sizing up tax incentives and other monetary factors in order to make production as cost-effective as possible. So, while the movie could technically relocate, it probably couldn't do so without delaying production. "Green Lantern" has already changed dates once before from December 2010 to June 2011, and should a location change occur, it's entirely possible that the film could see yet another release date shift.

Assuming that "Green Lantern" does get delayed, what does that mean for "Deadpool," the other superhero project with Reynolds' name attached to it? Might a potential delay on "Green Lantern" require another actor to assume the role of Wade Wilson? If his ability to juggle both characters wasn't in question before, it certainly could be now.

Will the film be delayed because of the rising Australian dollar and if the film is delayed again, how will that affect Reynolds' involvement as Deadpool?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Plot Details Revealed for 'Inception'

Up until this point we haven't known anything at all about the plot of Christopher Nolan's new action movie "Inception," besides that it's sci-fi and "set within the architecture of the mind." The first teaser trailer hit yesterday but still left everyone with questions, as it was short and very vague. However, Kris Tapley at In Contention has revealed some actual plot details for "Inception" that come directly from the screenplay.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, a "CEO-type" of a company that has designed a way to enter people's dreams. He is also somewhat of a criminal, using that ability to extract and implant information.

Ellen Page plays Ariadne, a young college student studying in Paris who is a part of Cobb’s team (along with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Arthur and Tom Hardy’s Eames). Cobb’s team actually “creates” the dreams and Ariadne is an “architect” of the them. She engineers them.

When Cobb’s team enters the dreams, it is not via a machine such as “The Matrix." It is via injection, and the technology can easily be transported in a suitcase, which means they can do it almost anywhere.

Cillian Murphy stars as Fischer, a business-type who is soon to become the head of a company. Cobb’s team is attempting to insert an idea into Fischer’s mind to compel him to separate the company into two smaller companies.

Ken Watanabe plays Saito, a character blackmailing Cobb. Beyond that, and to stay out of spoiler territory, no one is really sure what his involvement or motive is, but he is the closest to a villain in the movie. Additionally, Marion Cotillard plays Cobb's wife, who causes trouble for Cobb in the film.

The film will not be typical sci-fi fare at all. It is set in the real world, present day. And virtually all of the “action” scenes take place in the dream environment. This should go a long way toward explaining the “Your mind is the scene of the crime” tagline that accompanied the trailer. Ultimately it seems like a grounded, more tangible blend of “Minority Report” and “The Matrix.”

I know some big spoilers will probably start popping up for this film before it hits theaters next year, but for your own sake and for Christopher Nolan's sake, I really hope you don't read them. All great movies like this are truly best experienced when you don't know much about the plot besides the basic premise. I will try not to spoil the film for myself or for any readers of this blog (I don't consider this post a spoiler since it is just about the characters and premise of the film).

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, In Contention

'Hancock 2' Gets New Writers

Two writers have been hired by Columbia to pen a sequel to the Will Smith superhero movie "Hancock," which grossed $624million worldwide last year.

The two writers Sony has brought on-board for "Hancock 2" are Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara, both writers of "The Shield." The pair’s producing credits include other such TV work such as "24," "Dexter" and "Nash Bridges."

The original producing team is expected to return, although it hasn't been confirmed whether director Peter Berg will be back to helm this one. We are sure, though, that they wouldn't be moving forward if they weren't able to get Will Smith back as Hancock, so he's probably returning.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, though the writers will work with Smith and director Peter Berg to build on the world hinted at in the first movie.

The original starred Smith as a boozy, irresponsible superhero who turns his life around with the help of a public relations expert. It later is revealed that the hero is part of a line of god-like beings who have been around for more than 3,000 years and lose their powers when close to fellow immortals.

In the first film, Hancock discovers his superhuman soulmate is Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron), the wife of publicist Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) who has given the hero an image makeover.

Hancock, originally titled Tonight He Comes, took more than 12 years to make it to the screen; the sequel will be on a faster track.
Peter Berg recently spoke to SCI FI Wire about his ideas for a sequel, confirming that it would elaborate on the film's mythology.

"There might be another god out there," Berg said. "Might be another one."

Berg added that the subplot of publicist Ray Embrey should pick up where it left off in Hancock, where he's starting his charity campaign.

But Berg said it wasn't possible to leap straight back in to "Hancock 2": "They like to fast-track it, but Will's busy, I'm pretty busy. We're excited to do one, but we want the script to be right and the movie to be right. We don't feel a burning imperative to go right back into it."

What do you think of the two writers that have been hired for the sequel to "Hancock"? Are you surprised the studio is pushing forward so quickly with this one?

"Hancock 2" is currently in the development stages and doesn’t have a planned release date yet.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: THR, Screen Rant, First Showing, The Geek Files, SCI FI Wire

David Goyer on 'Magneto' and 'Blade'

Hugh Jackman has been teasing at the story for "Wolverine 2" and Christopher McQuarrie has been brought on board to write the screenplay. But where does that leave the other future X-Men projects?

"X-Men Origins: Magneto," "X-Men: First Class" and "Deadpool" are the other planned movies hovering on standby. There's also been talk - though nothing official - of spin-offs for Storm and Gambit.

"Deadpool" has neither a writer nor a director - and star Ryan Reynolds is now over at Warner Bros to play "Green Lantern" so his involvement is not 100 percent guaranteed.

"First Class" has a writer ("Gossip Girl" and "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz) but no director, though Bryan Singer has 'flirted' with the idea of taking the reins.

"Magneto" has a screenplay. It was penned by Sheldon Turner and then reworked by David Goyer, who is set to direct.

Goyer has now given an update on the origin film of the mutant archvillain, played in the previous X-movies by Ian McKellen.

He told MTV News: "They're still thinking about doing it. They're definitely looking into doing other X-Men spinoffs."

The filmmaker felt confident the movie would pick up speed shortly: "I've been in touch with them. I'm sure that project will move forward in the next year or so."
Goyer wrote all three "Blade" movies, produced the first two and directed the poorly-received third movie, "Blade: Trinity." He also developed, wrote and produced the Blade TV series.

Of a further Blade film, he said: "It's been rumored over at New Line" and admitted there had been "murmurings."

But he indicated it would be a reboot, adding: "I think when you revisit these characters, the question is, how long should they stay off the shelf?

"When we did 'Batman Begins,' he'd been off the shelf for about eight years. It hasn't been eight years yet for Blade. I think usually if you give them a little breathing room between iterations, it's better."

So, "Blade 4" sounds much further away than "Magneto." The real question is whether Goyer has time to take on the master of magnetism, because of his many other commitments, including "Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max," TV series "Flash Forward" and the much-anticipated "Batman 3."

Do you think Goyer will make time in his schedule to direct "X-Men Origins: Magneto"? And do you want to see another "Blade" movie?

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

Todd McFarlane Writing New 'Spawn' Movie

Earlier this year, Todd McFarlane described his ambitions to reinvent the "Spawn" franchise for the big screen. But what was once just talk and speculation has now found its way into the realm of reality.

McFarlane recently declared via Twitter that he is finally writing the "Spawn" screenplay.

"I've officially begun writing the ['Spawn' movie] screenplay," wrote the writer-artist. "The story has been in my head for [seven or eight] years."

The "Spawn" creator previously suggested that he could direct a lower-budget version of the film, but a big-budget interpretation would leave the directing duties to a more tested filmmaker.

"I'm trying to decide whether I want to go big production, bigger money, bigger marketing—or just do something that's a little bit smaller, more rock 'n' roll, and the way I've had it in my brain for the last five years," McFarlane expplained.

Based on his recently Tweeted description of the premise, it appears that a “dark, adult-themed” Spawn with a "smaller, more rock 'n' roll" approach is the version McFarlane has settled on.

"The movie idea is neither a recap or continuation," he described. "It is a stand alone story that will be R-rated. Creepy and scary ... the tone of this ['Spawn'] movie will be for a more older audience. Like the film ['The Departed']."
The actual plot of this new film would slightly alter the classic Spawn mythos of two police detectives (Sam and Twitch) on the trail of a supernatural killer who is dispatching crooks and mobsters around the city. In the new script, Sam and Twitch will reportedly be condensed into one cop character (a role McFarlane wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play) who is caught up in a mob investigation, until a mysterious and unseen entity shows up and starts slaughtering crooks. Unlike the 1997 film, which was more of a big-budget super hero flick, McFarlane’s new script will likely treat Spawn as more of a peripheral character - a supernatural catalyst for the crime drama.

What do you think: does this new "Spawn" movie sound good to you?
"Spawn" is still being scripted and no word yet on a release date.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News

New Director for 'Bioshock'

The last time anything was reported on the "Bioshock" movie was it being put on hold because of money troubles. Universal Pictures took a look at the budget, and decided to pull the plug in the pre-production stages, letting staff go until they and the then-director Gore Verbinski could figure out a way to do the movie without it costing as much.

And it looks like they’ve done just that, as well as finding a replacement director for Verbinski in the form of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who you’ll probably know best for co-writing and directing "28 Weeks Later." He is in talks to direct from a script written by John Logan ("Gladiator," "The Last Samurai").

According to Variety, Universal stopped "Bioshock" in April "because the budget rose to $160 million and the studio needed it to cost less." They claimed they just wanted Verbinski to shoot overseas (where it would cost less), but he wasn't able to since he’s directing the animated film "Rango." The studio went after Fresnadillo instead. Take-Two Interactive, who developed the game and has final approval on the director, approved Fresnadillo and now here we are.
This is kind of surprising news, and something that’s bound to be disappointing news for Verbinski, who a few months ago turned down directing "Pirates of the Carribean 4" in order to focus on "Bioshock." Now it appears he’ll just be producing, which is still a big commitment, but definitely not the one he had in mind originally.

What do you think of the possible new director of the "Bioshock" movie? Do you think he’s a good fit or should they go with someone who’s got more experience?

"Bioshock" is currently in the development stages and doesn’t have a scheduled release date as of yet.

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

'John Carter of Mars' Casting Updates

The cast of Disney’s big-screen adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ "John Carter of Mars" keeps growing, adding three English actors to the roster. Joining John Carter of Mars will be Dominic West ("The Wire," "300"), Samantha Morton ("In America") and Polly Walker (HBO’s "Rome").

The three English actors join Willem DaFoe, Thomas Hayden Church and "Wolverine" stars Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins (Gambit and Silver Fox), who will be playing lead characters John Carter and his love interest, Mars princess Dejah Thoris.

According to The Hollywood Reporter: “Morton will play Sola, the daughter of Tars Tarkas (DaFoe), who must hide her softer side from her warmongering race. West plays Sab Than, prince of the Zodangans who believes he is entitled to rule Mars. Walker plays Sarkoja, a merciless, tyrannical Thark.”

Writer/Producer/Director Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo," "Wall-E") will be making his live-action directorial debut; the script was co-written by Stanton and Mark Andrews, with novelist Michael Chabon ("Wonder Boys") turning in a recent rewrite. "John Carter of Mars" is expected to mix live-action and CGI Martian creatures, and will be a PG-13 epic adventure/fantasy, which is expected to kick-off a trilogy.

The film is reportedly set to start filming this November for release in 2012.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

Teaser Trailer for Chris Nolan's 'Inception'

After showing in theaters this weekend in front of "Inglourious Basterds," Warner Brothers has debuted the official teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Inception" online today. Although its not long, clocking in at just under a minute, it is still an awesome teaser, especially for a project that only started shooting in July (they're still filming in Paris).


The film is a thriller set within the architecture of the mind about a CEO who is involved in a blackmailing scandal.

"Inception" will hit theaters on July 16, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!