Posted Jan 7th 2009 9:32PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Deals, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
.jpg)
Previously known as Stuff and Things, Stuff We Missed is exactly that: stuff we missed. Consider this the Costco of blog posts, where you save time and read your movie news in bulk. Yum.
-- Will
Watchmen hit theaters on March 6th, as scheduled, or will those evil demons at 20th Century Fox prevent fans from seeing their beloved film on time simply because they hate human beings and everything they stand for? Okay, maybe there's a little more to it, but good news is both sides have agreed to let a judge settle this on January 20th. It's complicated, but we'll know then whether the film will arrive on time or not.
-- Our friends over at
io9 came across a few images of early concept art for
that new Judge Dredd flick (see them below). These come from comic artist Jock, who also worked on Losers, 2000 A.D and Green Arrow: Year One. The images are all tagged with the name Rebellion, which is the company behind the 2003
Dredd video game, and is also producing the new film.
-- The ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) have dished out their nominations for best of the year, with nods going to
Revolutionary Road, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire (my choice) and
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Continue reading Stuff We Missed: 'Watchmen' Release, 'Judge Dredd' Art, and More
Posted Jan 7th 2009 9:02PM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Casting, Deals, RumorMonger, Fandom
That's good news if you loved him as Jacob in
Twilight, anyway. If you didn't, well, I guess it sucks to be you, because he ain't going anywhere.
Taylor Lautner was one of the youngest
Twilight cast members, not quite 16 years old when the film was shot (he turns 17 next month), making him essentially the same age as his character -- a rarity in teen films. His character, Jacob Black, is the Native American boy whose forefathers' anti-vampire streak, coupled with his own fondness for Bella (Kristen Stewart), made him wary of dreamy teenpire Edward (Robert Pattinson), and while Jacob played only a minor part in
Twilight's story, he becomes much more important in the sequel,
New Moon. I haven't read it, but evidently (and this is no spoiler) he goes through some physical transformations befitting a lad of his werewolfy ancestry.
Lautner's youth and baby-facedness made some people question whether he'd be the right choice to continue playing a beefed up Jacob. At 5'9", Lautner is taller than lots of Hollywood leading men -- but most Hollywood leading men aren't required to play 6'7" lycanthropes.
Rumors swirled that he would be replaced, and a representative for
New Moon director Chris Weitz
confirmed back in December that "the casting decision in regards to the character Jacob Black has yet to be made." Actor Michael Copon, a 26-year-old Lautner lookalike, was being considered at one point, going so far as to say on his Facebook page that he had been locked to take over the role.
Continue reading Good News, Jacobites: Taylor Lautner WILL Be in the 'Twilight' Sequel
Posted Jan 7th 2009 7:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Independent, Thrillers, Deals, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
The lovely
Lena Headey is a favorite with just about everyone here at
Cinematical -- click on her tag and you'll see many love letters devoted to her films both past and upcoming. Now she's adding a new credit to her resume, as Headey will be taking the director's chair for her film
Kill Drug.
Formerly titled
Retribution, it's a project Headey has been attached to for some time ... and when you want to get a movie done, you tackle it yourself. Starring Headey, the formidable
Charlotte Rampling, and
Jason Flemyng, it centers on an underground group of Longon vigilantes. Headey will star as Sally, a woman recruited into by its founder ... who just happens to be her mother, Sue, who murdered her abusive husband back in the 1970s. However, Sally discovers that all is not as it seems, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely ... and probably that working with your mother is a really bad idea.
"My ambition to direct has been fuelled over the last fifteen years, by working alongside great directors. It has also been my film education," Headey told
Empire. "
Kill Drug is smart, articulate, compelling, sexy, fun, dark, deeply poignant and not afraid to laugh at itself. Above all it is a gripping and compelling journey, a study of humanity's darkest flaws and purest innocence."
Headey has been slowly making her mark as one kickass chick in films and television -- and it's pretty darn cool that she's going to join the rare, elusive breed of female directors. Hopefully
Kill Drug will be the first of many on her resume.
Posted Jan 7th 2009 3:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Romance, Deals
They may have been star-crossed lovers, and they might have tied the knot and spent a night together consummating their marriage (even if their warring families didn't know), but I don't think ol' Juliet had time to plop out Romeo's baby before dying. As we've all seen countless times: Romeo went off to banishment, Juliet faked her death, Romeo came back and assumed she was dead and killed himself, then she woke up and killed herself. There was no time for pregnancy and baby delivery.
Nevertheless,
The Hollywood Reporter posts that Universal has grabbed the rights to a novel called
Juliet, from Danish author Anne Fortier. To be published sometime next year, the novel "toggles from medieval Siena to the present day in a story about a woman who discovers she may be descended from the people who inspired one of the most popular and tragic love stories of all time."
Unless they're talking about ol' Shakespeare himself, this is just not possible. Unless ... did both the Capulets and Montagues have new babies that fell in love in the very same way -- and survived? I imagine that the catch-word "inspired" will allow them to twist the Romeo and Juliet story a bit. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I am intrigued.
First
Hamlet 2, now a descendant of Romeo and Juliet. What's next? A horror movie called
Titus Andronicus 2: Lucius Goes Mad?
Posted Jan 7th 2009 8:03AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Scripts
Almost
three years ago, there was word that New Line was going to remake
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- Disney's first live-action film that starred Kirk Douglas and James Mason. In 2007, Sam Raimi said he was looking over scripts (as producer, not director), and then nothing. The project just seemed to fade away. Well, while there's no remake on the immediate horizon,
Variety reports that we
are going to get an origin story courtesy of Disney and helmed by
McG.
The project is called
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo, and will (obviously) feature Nemo as he creates the Nautilus.
Bill Marsilli penned the screenplay, and Disney is fast-tracking this puppy to film sometime this year -- presumably before the director kicks the next
Terminator into gear.
I wouldn't be surprised if this means that New Line (under Warner Bros.) gets that remake cooking to compete with, or go alongside Disney's creation. Should it happen, it would be nice to two companies compete on something complimentary rather than repetitive (think Steve Prefontaine or Truman Capote). Regardless, McG is certainly making a solid name for himself, but what of Nemo's origin? Do you want to know, or do you just want him and the Nautilus to be a mystery of the sea?
Posted Jan 6th 2009 8:36PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Newsstand
.jpg)
Normally I would've skipped this story and handed it to a writer who digs the more fantastical (like Elisabeth), but this little fairytale happens to holds a very special place in my heart. First off,
Variety reports that
D. J. Caruso (
Eagle Eye) will be directing a (live-action?) version of
Jack the Giant Killer, which is kinda similar to Jack and the Beanstalk, except Caruso's version will be more "adult" as it follows a young farmer who ventures off into the land of giants on a mission to save a kidnapped princess.
Why do I care so much about
Jack the Giant Killer? Well, because it so happens that I played Jack in the third grade as part of my class' performance of -- yup --
Jack the Giant Killer. So speaking as someone who's battled those pesky giants before (and won!), this project will be no easy task. No word on where this leaves Caruso's adaptation of
Y: The Last Man, which was
supposed to start shooting early next year, but when they're looking for their Jack, one imagines the director will put a call in to the star of his previous two films first (ahem, I believe he goes by the name of LaBeouf).
Posted Jan 6th 2009 10:03AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Horror, Deals, Warner Brothers, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Western
If you watched
Horton Hears a Who last spring and immediately thought "This is exactly how I see
Jonah Hex," I would have demanded to know what narcotic you were on. Then, I would have had to apologize because you clearly weren't alone. Someone at Warner Bros was thinking the same thing, because according to
The Hollywood Reporter, Horton's helmer
Jimmy Hayward has stepped in as the director of
Jonah Hex.
After
losing Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the studio has been frantically searching for a replacement, as they hope to begin shooting in March or April.
McG and
Andy Fickman were both on the short list, and back in December, Lexi Alexander was r
eportedly interested in the script. Instead, they chose a former PIXAR man, who made his directoral debut with
Horton Hears a Who.
From all reports, they're keeping the Neveldine/Taylor script, so there is that, but Hayward is expected to give it his own mark. Who knows, maybe it's a smaller step from Dr. Seuss to a scarred cowboy than I'm able to picture. You can even argue that animated films and comic books have a lot in common, so you can't really judge ... but it's still a surprising pick, all creative differences considered.
So, will the choice of Hayward tip the balance for
Josh Brolin or not?
THR is still listing him as attached, but last we heard,
he was still undecided as to whether or not to take the lead -- and it all hinged on who was sitting in the director's chair. Will he approve of Hayward over Neveldine and Taylor? Or will he depart for the open prairie, leaving Hayward without a cowboy?
Posted Jan 6th 2009 9:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
If you were wondering which film would get remade next, or which musical, look no further! On the heels of
Hairspray, and even
Fame,
The Hollywood Reporter posts that
Adam Shankman is gearing up to remake
Bye Bye Birdie for Columbia.
The company has been trying to get this remade for ages, under many guises. It was once going to be re-imagined into a hip-hop musical, and both John Chu and Tina Fey (
that I'd want to see!) have circled the project. Right now, there's no word on who will be the new writer, nor an indication of how Shankman will handle the film. I would assume, however, that it won't get reimagined, but rather updated with sparkly face and new, sassy dance moves -- if
Hairspray is any indication.
But who on earth could fill the shoes ones tapped away by the likes of Dick Van Dyke and Jason Alexander? I would be the opposite of surprised if Zac Efron got tapped for the lead, but it's time Mr. Shankman got a new lead. Any ideas?
Posted Jan 2nd 2009 5:32PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Horror, Independent, Thrillers, Deals, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
It isn't just superhero stories that do brisk business in Hollywood these days -- horror comics are popular too.
Variety reports that the latest to be optioned is
The Night Projectionist, an upcoming miniseries published by Studio 407, which will be brought to the big screen by Myriad Pictures. The two have also teamed up for
Hybrid, which will begin production later this year.
Penned by Bob Heske, it's a story more along the lines of
30 Days of Night than the bloodsuckers of
Twilight or
Underworld. The story kicks off in 18th century Romania (as all vampire stories must) as a village prepares to lynch a village girl for launching a vampire plague that is destroying their humble townsfolk.
Fast forward to present day and Halloween's Eve, where an all night Dracula-thon film festival is taking place in a decrepit theater. Unluckily for the attendees, the projectionist is a vampire -- and with his help, the human audience is trapped inside, ready to be feasted upon. (This could happen to any one of us -- carry a crucifix to your next all-night film festival, readers.) It all connects back to that unlucky Romanian village, and the man who betrayed it all those years ago.
You can catch a preview of the comic over on
Studio 407's website -- the art is fantastic and there is actually a pretty cool twist in just 8 pages of story. (For the artistically inclined, there's also a behind-the-scenes look at the artwork on
Horror Comic Book News.) Heske's first issue isn't due on shelves until February, but it's gotten
good reviews from Ain't It Cool News, Comics Bulletin, and the Rundown already. Definitely one to look out for.
Posted Dec 30th 2008 12:02PM by Eugene Novikov
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Distribution, 20th Century Fox
If Warner Bros. is to be believed, the studio is going to fight to the death to keep from making a payout to Fox. Their lawyers are
running around swearing that a settlement is "unlikely," that they will prevail on appeal or at trial, that tonight they dine in hell, etc.
Don't believe it. Warner Bros. will pay up. Events over the next couple of weeks may determine how much they'll have to pay. But I would be astonished if
Watchmen misses its date with the multiplex.
No one wants to go to trial in the best of circumstances. Something like 95% of all court cases settle. When it comes to big, multi-million dollar brawls between huge corporations, that number jumps even higher. Trial is expensive. Warner Bros.' legal fees would be astronomical. Trial is uncertain. Juries are unpredictable. You could be clearly right and still lose.
Furthermore these are not the best of circumstances for Warner Bros. I'll skip over most of the legal-speak involved here, but the crucial fact is that the judge has
already decided the biggest issue in the case: whether Fox owns a distribution right in
Watchmen. It's a done deal. The jury's not getting another crack at it. What's left to decide is stuff like damages and whether Warner Bros. should be enjoined from releasing the film. So even the best case scenario for Warner Bros. at trial isn't that great. To take a risk like that would be... Well, I repeat that I'd be astonished.
Continue reading Why We'll See 'Watchmen' on March 6th
Posted Dec 30th 2008 10:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels
If you thought the delayed release of
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was too much to bear, what about never ever getting to see how things wrap up on the big screen? In the wake of news that
Disney had dumped Narnia,
The Independent reports that Harry Potter could be next.
Now it's not a completely out of left-field thought created for the article. It seems that screenwriter Steve Kloves "said recently that Warner Bros was worried about the prospects for the last three films in the series, since JK Rowling is no longer driving anticipation for the titles by producing new books." I guess Warner Brothers didn't hear the world-wide sighs and cries of pain after delaying
Half-Blood.
While it's natural for a studio to entertain movie-cutting ideas when money is tight, it would be utterly ridiculous to end the Potter franchise with one left to go. Yes,
The Subtle Knife won't follow
The Golden Compass, and there's a good chance we won't get more Narnia, but there's a difference between almost flops and the most successful franchise ever. And if this rationale is true, that's just silly. The mere act of adapting books for the big screen means that the books have to wrap up
before the movies do.
Continue reading Could the Harry Potter Series End Early?
Posted Dec 29th 2008 8:32PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Newsstand, War
Oprah Winfrey might be one of the most powerful women in the world, but one thing's for sure: the gal has no talent for spotting literary scams.
Variety has
reported that Herman Rosenblat's Oprah-endorsed Holocaust memoir,
Angel at the Fence, has been pulled from publication by Berkley Books just weeks before the book was scheduled to hit the shelves. But that's not all -- plans for a $25 million film based on the book have been compromised following allegations by scholars, friends and family members that Rosenblat's tale was fabricated (New Republic has the
whole story over at their website).
According to Rosenblat's tale, his family was forced into the Schlieben Labor Camp in Germany, where he supposedly met his "angel" -- a young Jewish girl who lived outside of the camp and met Rosenblat at the fence to give him apples and bread, and he never learned her name. After the war, he relocated to New York and on a double date finally met the young girl who had kept him alive during his time at the labor camp. The two eventually fell in love, and it was that love story that earned them the spot the Oprah show (twice!) where she referred to their tale as "the single greatest love story" she had encountered in her 22 years on the show. Oprah has since declined to comment on the current controversy.
Continue reading Oprah Gets Taken By Another Phony Memoir -- Feature Film Plans Scrapped?
Posted Dec 29th 2008 4:22PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Celebrities and Controversy, 20th Century Fox, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Watchmen is not going to end 2008 on a high note. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, a lawyer for 20th Century Fox has said that the studio will seek an order delaying the release of the film. Ever since Fox first filed its suit,
Watchmen fans have been panicked that the film's legal woes would delay its March 6 release. Seriously, Fox, don't you just want some money? A nice chunk of money? Don't kick the
Watchmen when they're down.
Though the judge ruled
in favor of Fox on Christmas, agreeing that Fox retained copyright on the film, he now plans to hold the trial as planned on January 20th. Warner Bros finally spoke out about the messy situation, via their lawyer, and said that he didn't know if the studio would appeal, but that trial was necessary, and a settlement was "unlikely."
So, despite that the scales of justice are tipped in Fox's favor, Warner Bros refuses to blink and agree to a payoff. Considering that Paramount already has the international distribution rights, they don't want to lose any more of the box office pie than they have to. Cue the theme to
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and we'll keep you updated as this case drags into 2009.
Question: At what point do nerdy fanboys begin bombarding 20th Century Fox with nasty hate mail?
Posted Dec 25th 2008 10:26AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, Celebrities and Controversy, 20th Century Fox, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Yikes -- Warner Bros. obviously landed on Santa's naughty list this year.
The New York Times reports that the judge has ruled in favor of Fox Studios. Sayeth the Honorable Judge Feess "Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the
Watchmen motion picture."
This comes as quite a surprise since last we heard, the judge didn't have enough information to make a ruling, and was moving the trial
to January 20th. Judge Feess indicated he would make a more detailed ruling soon.
Warner Bros. has declined to comment, and as of now, has not backed off the film's planned release date of March 6. I can hear you all crying (and I hope it's in your very best
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer voice) "There goes
Watchmen, and there goes Christmas!" But it's highly doubtful
Watchmen will lose its release date. There's no need to panic. Feess advised Fox and Warner Bros to look towards a settlement or appeal. "The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review." So, expect a major payoff from Warner Bros. (and maybe those rumored
Batman television show rights) to Fox in order that we'll still be at that March 6th show. And you thought a lump of coal was bad.
Posted Dec 24th 2008 8:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Remakes and Sequels
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ... Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia. The End! Finit! Voila! All done! Merry Christmas, Narnia!
Can you imagine a world where
The Chronicles of Narnia only made it through two installments? Can you imagine no
Dawn Treader, or
Silver Chairs, or
Horses, or
Nephews, or
The Last Battle? It's come to be, at least where Disney and Walden Media are concerned.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that the companies have chosen to not co-produce and finance the next Narnia installment (
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), citing "budgetary and logistical reasons." (And also declining to elaborate on these reasons.)
The plan was to get the film in production soon, to be released in May of 2010. But without a company and deep pockets to finance the fantasy, there's a decent chance that this will all go up in smoke. The key cast were attached to the third installment, but there's no telling if they'll wait around for a new bank. However, Walden does plan to shop the film around in hopes of finding someone willing to fork over the money. I imagine that it will be a pretty hard sell -- the second only pulled in close to half what
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe pulled in, so it's far from a sure bet, box office-wise.
Are you happy with the news? Is this the chance for someone else to bring the franchise more critical acclaim? The chance for the adaptations to die and fade away?
Will the MPAA just mislabel it anyway? Weigh in below!
Next Page >
