Jason Reitman’s latest movie Young Adult has just had its first teaser poster released. For the first time in a long time we have an original idea, a mock-literary style image! The movie stars Charlize Theron as a recently divorced woman in her 30’s who writes young adult fiction.
She ends up going back to her hometown in an aggressive attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend who is now happily married with a young child. She ends up turning to the bottle and a former school friend as she tries to figure out her life.
We can imagine the tone of the movie as Reitman is skilled at turning difficult subject matters into funny movies, looks at Juno and Up in the Air as examples. However, I’m sure this will be slightly darker than his work on previous films.
Alongside Charlize Theron there are a whole host of names on the cast list including Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe, JK Simmons, Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt. Reitman will be reuniting with Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for their last collaboration.
We haven’t seen Theron in a role like this before so it will be interesting to see the angle Reitman takes. Young Adult will be hitting screens in February 2012.
Have you heard of an upcoming comedy The Big Year? To be honest it wouldn’t surprise me if you haven’t but I don’t really understand why. The movie stars Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson so there are plenty of funny men to get your teeth into. However, the first trailer for the movie is now out over on the Apple site and hopefully it will bring The Big Year out from under the radar.
The Big Year follows three bird watchers who are travelling to American is compete in an annual ornithologist event. Each of the three has a different personal agenda based on their own life. Martin plays a man about to retire, Wilson is in the middle of a mid-life crisis and Black doesn’t have a life. So, the trio set off in order to achieve some of their dreams, whilst checking out their feathered friends.
Unfortunately for me, the trailer doesn’t inspire much confidence. Having said that, I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s just the trailer as having three major comedy stars and David Frankel behind the camera, I fail to see what could go wrong.
The Big Year will be in a cinema near you on November 11th.
Brett Ratner and Don Mischer have announced that Eddie Murphy has been signed up to host the Academy Awards show on February 26th 2012.
Of the host, Ratner said, “With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show Don and I want to produce in February.”
Whilst Mischer said that, “Eddie is a truly ground-breaking performer, whose amazingly diverse array of roles has won him a devoted audience of all ages. His quick wit and charisma will serve him very well as Oscar host”.
Murphy began his career as a stand-up comedian at 15 back in 1980, and it wasn’t until 1982 that he appeared in his first feature film, 48 Hours. He went on to become a household name after starring in The Nutty Professor series, Beverly Hills Cop and Shrek. He was also up for an Oscar in 2006 for his supporting role in Dream Girls.
Talking of hosting the Oscars, Murphy said, “I’m looking forward to working with Brett and Don on creating a show that is enjoyable for both the fans at home and for the audience at the Kodak Theatre as we all come together to celebrate and recognize the great film contributions and collaborations from the past year.”
It has been reported that script writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski have been brought on board of Ridley Scott’s feature film adaption of the family favourite board game, Monopoly. Scott’s name has been attached to the Monopoly movie for a few years but it has been floating in development for a long time.
The two scriptwriters, Alexander and Karaszewski, have collaborated in the past, most notably on The People vs Larry Flynt, Problem Child, Man on the Moon, and most recently Stephen King’s 1408.
In 2008 Universal Pictures signed a contract with Hasbro – owners of Parker Brothers – to develop several films based on their games. Monopoly, Battleship, Stretch Armstrong, Ouija, and Clue weew all thought to be among the selection. Although reports suggest that the project is no longer with Universal Pictures, producers Bennett Schneir and Brian Goldner are still pressing forward with the film.
Battleship is scheduled for release in the summer of 2012 whilst Stretch Armstrong and Candy land are still at the studio. Monopoly is still trying to find a new home, along with Clue and Ouija which was turned around last month. Whether Monopoly and the other Hasbro movies ever see the big screen may well depend on the success of Battleship.
Variety is reporting that Abigail Breslin has just signed up to Beth Schacter’s upcoming comedy A Virgin Mary. The ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actress will play the lead character who agrees to have sex with her best friend if they are both still virgins when they turn 18.
Starring alongside Breslin is Valentines Day actor Carter Jenkins who is up for playing the male friend, whilst Akeelah and the Bee’s Keke Palmer will play her other friend. Spy Kids’ Daryl Sabara has also managed to land a role in the Schacter directed/written movie.
Jordana Mollick and Brendan Bragg are up to produce with Steakhaus Productions and Cotty Chubb will executive produce the movie which is already being compared to Sixteen Candles. Filming for A Virgin Mary is scheduled for early 2012.
Primarily known as a child star from Little Miss Sunshine and Rango, Breslin will be appearing in another grown up role soon in The Class Project as a killer. She plays one of two sisters who end up killing their mother after becoming sick of her alcoholic ways. The movie is based on a true story and the book adaption “The Class Project: How To Kill A Mother: The True Story of Canada’s Infamous Bathtub Girls”.
It looks like there might finally be a sequel to Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. The idea of a follow up seems to have been on the cards for many years, but it seems like Seth Grahame-Smith is seriously considering the movie with his new production company.
We’re not sure how likely this is as every time someone mentions the 1988 hit comedy it seems that someone wants to do a second film, but the rumours always die down. A while back we heard that Burton had actually provided script writer Jonathan Gems with a concept of Beetlejuice in Hawaii but after several drafts it never came of anything. The Grahame-Smith connection could be a little more concrete as he has worked with Burton before on Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln.
Grahame-Smith and David Katezenberg have just signed a two year deal with Warner for their KatzSmith Productions company – presumably working in a similar way to Bad Robot or Imagine. Perhaps a Beetlejuice sequel would be the vehicle to get it moving…
It has been said that the sequel will be a reboot of the original but with an advanced storyline – we’re not sure what that means either. All we are sure of is that we want Michael Keaton back.
Although Chris Tucker hasn’t appeared in a movie since the final instalment of the Rush Hour trilogy, with those three movies marking the only jobs he has had since 1998, it appears he wants to make a comeback. Tucker has just landed a role in The Silver Linings Playbook and is apparently considering another in an upcoming Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn comedy Neighborhood Watch.
Variety is reporting that Tucker has all but signed on the dotted line for the David O Russell drama, which will see he play Danny – a friend of the lead character Bradley Cooper. The plot sees Cooper institutionalised for depression but released into the care of his mother. Once he’s out he tries to win back his ex-wife but ends up in a relationship with a neighbour.
It’s thought that his involvement with Neighborhood Watch will see Tucker play Jamarcus, who signs up to join the group after recently going through a divorce. The movie sees Stiller starring as man who joins up to the patrol which is really just a cover for men to escape from their home lives, then somehow an alien becomes involved.
These two movies aren’t the only project Tucker’s name has been attached to, he has also been associated with Django Unchained and The Rabbit, but nothing has come of them yet.
It has finally been confirmed that Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be featuring in The Expendables sequel. After their extremely brief cameo appearances in the first movie, fans of the duo will be pleased to hear that they have both been offered “substantial roles”
We don’t know exactly what substantial refers to but we are hoping that it means more than the few minutes we got in the first time around. However, we wouldn’t have thought they would return to star in a major movie for another couple of minutes.
Simon West is on to direct from David Agosto and Ken Kaufman’s script, and the follow up will star the original cast Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Jet Li – although there has been some rumour about him dropping out.
If that cast isn’t enough for you, there is also rumour that some other stars will be signing up including Jean-Claude Van Damme – let’s face it, the Expendables might help him regain some credibility after the Coors advert – Scott Adkins and Chuck Norris. The Expendables 2 is due to start filming next month.
The Expendables sequel is not the only action flick Arnie has recently signed up to, he is also attached to The Last Stand.
We have just heard that James Gandolfini has a new television series on HBO, but now we are hearing that the US cable channel has another project up its sleeve – this time with Anthony Hopkins interested in an adaption of the Jonathan Franzen novel The Corrections.
Noah Baumbach is the brains behind the project which is looking to turn the critically acclaimed novel into a television series. The book managed to grab plenty of awards when it was launched, and soon became the subject of much discussion. It follows an elderly couple and their children throughout their lives.
It is thought that so far Hopkins has only expressed interest in the role, he has not yet put pen to paper. If he were to take on the job, he would be playing Alfred, the lead male.
According to Deadline, long-time collaborator Scott Rudin has signed up to produce the series, which HBO are closing in on. The cable outlet is looking to order a pilot based on the script co-written by Baumbach and Franzen.
The appeal of the TV series to HBO is easy to see as they seem to thrive on multi-layered family programmes. Cross your fingers that Sir Hopkins signs up.
Scottish director Justin Molotnikov has managed to sign up the original cast from Crying With Laughter for the movie’s follow up. We know that Juliette Lewis, Stephen McCole, Kate Dickie, Gary Lewis and Greta Scacchi have all agreed to feature in Blood or Water.
Echoes of “I know nothing” are heard all around this project as we genuinely do not know much about this project aside from the creepy and somewhat unwanted mention of “unwitting incest”.
However, the cast must know something as Lewis has expressed her excitement at taking part in the movie, “I am excited by Justin Molotnikov’s unconventional, completely organic approach to storytelling and filmmaking”. She went on to say that “He creates one of a kind, totally engrossing stories with characters that jump off the screen”.
We last saw Lewis on screen in Due Date, although she has numerous projects on the go at the moment, including Hick, Foreverland and Open Road. Also, she has just landed a role in a TV adaption of the 1993 mob drama The Firm.
So, we will tell you what little we do know of Molotnikov’s Blood or Water, it’s set to start shooting in Scotland in early 2012.
Warner Bros’ Gangster Squad director Ruben Fleischer has just signed up Nick Nolte to the cast even though shooting is about to start. Nolte’s role was one big void in the period crime drama so it’s about time someone filled the role.
Nolte has been hired to play the new chief of police for Los Angeles, Bill Parker, who thinks that the 1950’s police department could do with a few honest cops, and so he sets about tidying up the corrupt cop shop.
The movie has been adapted by Castle writer Will Beall from Paul Lieberman’s series of newspaper articles. Gangster Squad follows the actions of top gangster Mickey Cohen, played by Sean Penn, and Parker tasks his fellow officers, including Josh Brolin’s John O’Mara, with bringing him to justice.
Nolte is just the latest name on an already impressive cast list, as I’m sure you know that Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Emma Stone, Mireille Enos, Robert Patrick, Giovanni Ribsi and Michael Pena have already been signed up. Nolte has been pretty tied up recently as he is between roles in the MMA drama Warrior and Parker, whilst preparing for Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep.
George Clooney has just ruled himself out of Steven Soderbergh’s movie adaption of the cult TV show U.N.C.L.E. Now we know Clooney was never confirmed for the role but he had all but signed on the dotted line for the project.
So many hopes were dashed when Deadline reported that Clooney would not be reuniting with Ocean’s and Solaris direct. However, with Clooney gone Soderbergh has to find a replacement who can create the same 1960s Bond feel.
The director could start looking in the depths of his closet, not for dead bodies, but for actors he has obviously worked well with in the past, Channing Tatum perhaps. The duo worked well together on Haywire and are currently working together to develop Tatum’s stripper flick Magic Mike. However, even if he was approached, he would probably be jam packed with G.I. Joe.
The U.N.C.L.E script has been penned by Contagion’s Scott Z Burns, and is still the next project set for production for Soderbergh. He has plans for his last two films Magic Mike and Liberace after that, before he is due to retire, but that doesn’t seem to be set in stone either.
William Monahan sure is going to be busy if he goes ahead with all these projects. Only yesterday it was reported that Monahan and Martin Scorsese were going to reunite for a remake of The Gambler. However, I’m more interested in the latest word that Monahan is being brought in to wave his magic wand over a script for Sin City 2.
Directors-turned-co-writers Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller have had the Sin City sequel in development for a number of years whilst they wait for funding. It was revealed at Comic-Con that Miller had written a script so we’re presuming Monahan is being brought in for a little polishing rather than to write the thing from scratch.
Plus, Miller is the main man behind the original graphic novel so I highly doubt he would be handing over the reins to someone else at this point. I’m sure every script could benefit from an Oscar-winning eye.
Monahan isn’t only working on these two projects either; he has just finished penning the screenplay for Joseph Kosinski’s next movie Horizons –formerly called Oblivion – which is currently searching for female lead actresses to star with Tom Cruise.
We now know that X-Men superstar Hugh Jackman has signed up to Tom Hooper’s adaption of the musical Les Miserables, but he’s not satisfied with only starring in the film. Apparently, Jackman has himself set as a casting director by suggesting who else he thinks should feature in the movie.
Guess who is top of his list?
Yes, Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Broadway World is reporting that Jackman has been trying to get Hathaway on board the project for some time. It would make perfect sense as she is a big star at the moment whose name would do nothing but boost the film. Also, Hathaway has proven that she has a decent set of lungs as she belted out Fantine’s On My Own at this year’s Oscars.
Fantine doesn’t have the lead role but it is an important one as she is the mother of the heroine Cosette. I won’t go into too much detail as I am presuming you know the general story of the classic. Oh, and we are presuming that Jackman will be starring as Jean Valjean.
There aren’t too many official dates and confirmed things on the Les Miserables project as yet aside from Hooper as director and Jackman’s casting. It is thought filming will get underway at the end of this year, presumably before Jackman gets tied up in The Wolverine…
Although Josh Brolin’s name has been attached to the Oldboy remake for quite some time, it’s only now that he has officially signed up to Spike Lee’s project. Scriptwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) has adapted the screenplay from that of Park Chan-Wook’s original from 2004.
Brolin has signed on for the role of a man who is kidnapped by a mystery bad guy on his daughter’s birthday. He is then imprisoned in solitary confinement for fifteen years with not a clue as to why. When he is finally released he tries to get revenge of those who captured him but learns that it is all part of a bigger scheme.
Steven Spielberg originally had the movie rights to remake the film in 2008 and had plans for Will Smith to star, but now Brolin with take the lead and there’s currently rumour that Christian Bale is on for the villain – although nothing has been confirmed.
It’s been a good year for Brolin who will next be seen on screen in Men in Black 3 in May 2012, but he has also got a couple of other projects on the go, including Gangster Squad and Labor Day.
If you’re a film goer you have probably heard the name Paddy Considine, and may even recognise his face as one of the Andy’s in Hot Fuzz or the journalist at the beginning of The Bourne Ultimatum. However, you probably don’t know that his directorial debut has got critics talking, in fact, most of them are claiming it to be the best film of the year before it has even been released.
The story of Tyrannosaur sees an unemployed widower called Joseph tortured by his rage and violence; that is until he forms a relationship with a charity worker called Hannah. We follow their bond until it is revealed that Hannah has her own secrets. I’m sure you could guess that it doesn’t go smoothly – although there are no dinosaurs involved.
Tyrannosaur premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and received huge praise for the cast which includes Peter Mullan and Olivia Coleman as the two lead characters. Tyrannosaur is scheduled for a UK release on 7th October so make sure you don’t miss the movie that has already won seven different awards:
• 2011 Sundance International Film Festival; The World Cinema Award for Directing: Dramatic
• 2011 Sundance International Film Festival; World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performance: Peter Mullan
• 2011 Sundance International Film Festival; World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Breakout Performance: Olivia Colman
• 2011 Nantucket Film Festival; Best Writer/Director: Paddy Considine
• 2011 Munich Film Festival; CineVision Award: Best debut feature
• 2011 VOICES Festival; Festival Prize: Best Film
• 2011 VOICES Festival; Best acting prize: Olivia Colman
Jeff Goldblum’s 1993 dinosaur classic is heading back to UK cinema screens once again in a digitally remastered re-release. Universal are releasing the classic blockbuster hit on 23rd September, and allowing viewers to relive those infamous and iconic moments all over again.
In addition to new digital print on the silver screen, the Jurassic Park trilogy is also turning ‘blu’ as it will be hitting the shelves in a Blu-Ray version one month later on 24th October.
If you have never seen the original Jurassic Park there is something wrong with you, if you saw it years ago and don’t want to see it again, there’s something even worse wrong with you. Jurassic Park was – and still could be – a monster Spielberg hit and now it will be fully restored.
Spielberg acquired the rights to the Michael Crichton novel even before it had been published, winning the race ahead of the other studios. Universal promise that they haven’t messed with the story, which if you have lived in a cave for nearly two decades is as follows:
“The film centers on the fictional Isla Nublar near Costa Rica in the Central American Pacific Coast, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists have created an amusement park of cloned dinosaurs.”
It seems that Universal are not ditching every project that it currently has in development as sci-fi movie Horizons – previously known as Oblivion – is searching for actresses for the lead role alongside Tom Cruise.
Variety reports that the shortlist is full of well known names including Noomi Rapace who will soon be seen on screen in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; Olivia Wilde from Cowboys & Aliens; Jessica Chastain from Tree of Life; Another Earth’s Brit Marling, and Olga Kurylenko from Centurion.
Michael Arndt finished up the script and changed the focus of the plot, although it is still based on aliens stalking Earth and humans living in the clouds. Cruise is playing the role of Jack, who has the task of going down to the surface to repair drones. However, before the Toy Story 3 writer got his hands on the screen play he was set to discover an alien pod with a woman inside, but now it seems that the main plot will be something to do with his ex-fiancee.
Horizons is expected in cinemas in July 2013, but they need to find a female lead first…
It’s nice to see Johnny Depp back on screen and out of that ridiculous Jack Sparrow costume. He has agreed to get his friend’s movie The Rum Diary out from its ten years in development and up and running via his Infinitum Nihil company.
Hunter S. Thompson wrote The Rum Diary back in the 1960’s, and it based on his life whilst in Puerto Rico, although it was not published until 1998. The film adaption wasn’t lying around quite as long but it has still been lying around since 2000.
The film, which has just released its first official trailer, will see Depp playing Paul Kemp – Thompson’s alter ego – an alcohol loving journalist who is sent by the editor (Richard Jenkins) on an assignment in Puerto Rico. In the time that he isn’t spent drugged up, he manages to come across a story about a businessmen (Aaron Eckhart) whose fiancée takes a keen liking to Kemp.
This will be the second time that Depp has played a Thompson-based character, the first being one of his most popular appearances, Terry Gilliam from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Bruce Robinson is on the project to write and direct the movie, which should hit our cinema screens on 4th November.
We have heard that Ghostbuster 3 is finally being rolled out into production after Dan Akroyd appeared on The Dennis Miller Show to discuss the movie. It seems that the project is going to go ahead whether Bill Murray stays involved or not after Akroyd hints that shooting will start in Spring 2012 no matter who signs onto the cast.
“Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray,” he says, “That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that ‘Ghostbusters’ is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributed to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of ‘Ghostbusters 3′ is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood.”
Akroyd went onto to talk about new Ghostbusters and said that his character is unable to drive his Cadillac due to being blind in one eye and having a bad knee. Their health means that they have had to move on to a new generation. He confirmed that there have been no cast members agreed but he does have his eye on Matthew Gray Gubler from ‘Criminal Minds’.
Weddings are like comedy gold in the UK after the success of classics such as Four Weddings & A Funeral through to more recent movies such as Bridesmaids. However, Nigel Cole and Tim Firth, the Calendar Girls duo are looking to roll out their first project called The Wedding Video. So far they have recruited a few big names including Lucy Punch, Robert Webb and Rufus Hound.
The Hollywood Reporter suggests that The Wedding Video will be a mockumentary style movie on English society weddings. The best man decides to give his friend and the bride a filmed diary as a wedding present but it doesn’t all go to plan.
We last saw Lucy Punch in Bad Teacher, whilst Webb was on screen in Magicians. Rufus Hound has not really been a major player in movies, but is definitely making a name for himself on TV quiz shows and his own show, Hounded.
The trio are joining a cast which includes Miriam Margolves, Michelle Gomez and Harriet Walker. The Wedding Video does not have an exact release date as yet but we know it’s due to hit the big screen next year.
The sequel to the highly successful Taken in 2007 was set to get the ball rolling in the first few months of 2012, but we have now heard that Luc Besson is looking to get the movie out quicker than expected. Shooting for Taken 2 is now set to start in October this year with everyone back from the original cast.
There was some talk a while ago about replacing the original film’s star Liam Neeson with someone else, with Sean Bean, Mickey Rourke, Ralph Fiennes, Ray Winstone or Jason Isaacs were all on the rumour list. Once Neeson was signed up, the movie was officially announced in March earlier this year, with Besson back on the script.
Besson has confirmed that the whole cast will be back for the sequel, including Neeson’s estranged wife and daughter’s mother Famke Janssen. We don’t know too much information about the plot as yet, but hints that filming will take place in Los Angeles for a short amount of time, leading us to believe we could be travelling the world again.
Besson has just completed The Lady, but both he and Kamen have just completed the Fifth Element to the Power of Ten. The Lady is set to premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival and release in cinemas on 9th September.
Isaac Marion’s novel Warm Bodies is being adapted into a motion picture, and the cast list has just had another name added to it. The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry is currently in the middle of final negotiations for the movie.
Already in the cast is Nicholas Hoult from X-Men: First Class, as R, a zomboid who seems to be quite happy to eat humans for lunch, that is until the brains of one victim start to stir memories of his previous life as a human, and the victim’s memories become merged with his own.
He starts to fall in love with the man’s girlfriend but things don’t really work out when he realises that her father is the leader of a group of humans fighting against the undead. Corddry gets involved as R’s best friend and follows his every move.
We known Corddry for his roles in comedies and on The Daily Show, but this could be a big break for the actor into a different genre. 50/50’s Jonathan Levine penned the script and is directing the movie which starts shooting in September.
The internet is a subject that filmmakers seem to be obsessed with tackling these days, and Henry-Alex Rubin is just one of many directors looking to use it in his indie drama Disconnected. The script has been penned by Andrew Stern, who worked on Return To Me, and follows a group of people who are affected by the internet and other means of communications.
One character, to be played by Skarsgard, is a former Marine who is going through a difficult patch in his marriage no thanks to emotional and financial pressures. He is linked to Nygvist’s character who plays the man, Skarsgard and his wife suspect has stolen their identity.
The role of single dad and computer expert has been handed to Edge of Darkness’ Grillo, who tries to keep his teenage son away from the perils in cyberspace. His plan doesn’t seem to be working too well as the boy is already chatting away online as a girl…
So far the story sounds like an average day in the life of an internet user, not. The next story is of Andrew Riseborough’s character, a TV reporter looking to expand her horizons. Instead of the usual news routine she decides to concentrate on a male model who poses nude on the internet.
That’s about all we know so far, oh and it’s shooting in New York in September.
It look likes director Shawn Levy might be looking to either drop or push back the 3D remake of Fantastic Voyage as Fox seems to be pushing him in the direction of their Frankenstein story instead. The film has Max Landis working on the script which will tell another version of Mary Shelley’s infamous tale.
Deadline suggests that Levy has been trying to find a way out of the Voyage project for some time, it was even reported that he would walk from the job if Will Smith didn’t get the lead. Levy is rumoured to have been looking at several alternative projects, so perhaps a Frankenstein movie would be just right.
If Levy agrees to take on the project it will be one of at least six Frankenstein movies in the pipeline so Fox will be looking to get a head start in the market. The other five projects include one from Universal, I, Frankenstein, The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, The Dark Endeavour, and Frankenweenie. There is no confirmation on any release dates yet, or any indication as to which will get to the big screen first.
Levy’s next film to be seen in cinemas is Real Steel which is due for release on October 14th.
Variety is reporting that Christian Bale is being approached for numerous projects after playing Batman for the last time in The Dark Knight Rises. Two of the movies that particularly stands out is a remake of Oldboy and Clint Eastwood’s A Star Is Born.
We don’t think Bale had confirmed his involvement in any of the projects but he is able to pick from a number, so let’s see what is on the table.
Firstly there is the Oldboy reboot which Spike Lee is set up to direct for Mandate, and Bale is supposedly being offered a part as the villain who captures the hero as part of a bigger masterplan. Next up is A Star is Born where Eastwood is apparently considering Bale as the male lead which would see him mentor Beyonce. These are the two which attract our attention, unsure whether Bale will feel the same way.
Other projects potentially on the horizon are Gold by Michael Mann which is a modern day treasure hunt adventure style movie which we don’t know too much about so far. Also, the film that was called The Low Dweller, and now Out of the Furnace, is about a guy called Slim that avenges the murder of his brother.
Fiore Films has announced that Chazz Palminteri has joined the cast list of Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father. The statement from the press release is below:
“Fiore Films, an independent production company, today announced that it has signed Chazz Palminteri to play the role of Mafia boss Paul Castellano in its feature film “GOTTI: In The Shadow Of My Father,” which will begin pre-production in September and start principal photography on-location in New York on January 3.”
Palminteri has said that he is pleased to work with the people on the film as he has been a part of the movie since its original conception. Director Barry Levinson and writer James Toback are doctoring a revised version of the screenplay, the same duo that earned ten Academy Award nominations for Bugsy.
The actor is best known for his semi-autobiographical account of his childhood A Bronx Tale which was directed by Robert DeNiro. He also starred in Analyze This, The Usual Suspects and Bullets Over Broadway.
Fiore Films acquired the rights of John Gotti Jr.’s life, the son of John Gotti in a deal marking the first time that one of the family members has agreed for their story to be turned into a film. The movie will tell the story of a father who lived by the code of the mob and his son who chose to turn his back on that life.
The Great Wall marks the first feature film to launch under the standalone entertainment company Legendary East Ltd. Edward Zwick will sit in the director’s chair and pen the script alongside Marshall Herskovitz.
Legendary East Ltd. is based in Hong Kong and has the aim of producing film content that is viable in China and the rest of the world. Zwick and Herskovtiz will also be producing The Great Wall with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Charles Roven, and Alex Gartner.
Chief Creative Officer at Legendary Entertainment, Jashni said that, “Our partnership with Ed and Marshall is indicative of the creative ambition and financial commitment we are bringing to Legendary East — not next year or next month, but today”. The movie talks of the legend of The Great Wall of China and how the structure originally came about. It will be distributed by the Huayi Brothers in China and by Warner Bros. Pictures in the rest of the world.
If their previous projects The Last Samurai and Traffic are anything to go by, Zwick and Herskovitz might be able to create something special here. The Last Samurai was nominated for four Academy Awards and took more than $400 million at the box office, whilst the duo were nominated for an Oscar for Traffic.
Unlike Universal, Warner Bros is actually announcing release dates for films rather than ditching them. The studio has a 2nd March 2012 release date for Project and 13th April 2012 for Bullet to the Head.
Project X is a low budget comedy produced by Todd Phillips with Joel Silver in an executive producer position. The film was originally slated for a November 23 release and it is not known why it has been pushed back into next year.
The movie, directed by Nima Nourizadeh, stars Mike Teller who goes to a high school party which rapidly spirals out of control and is all caught on the camera. Project X will go up against The Lorax, Hansel and Gretal and Jeff, Who Lives at Home which are slated for the same release date.
Bullet to the Head is an action thriller, directed by Walter Hill and starring Sylvester Stallone, currently filming in New Orleans. The movie sees Stallone star as a hit man who forms an unusual relationship with a cop in order to track down the person that killed their loved ones. The film will be up against The Cabin in the Woods, Lockout and Movie 43.
Don’t forget that these release dates may well change so keep your eyes peeled.
Universal Pictures seems to be dropping projects like flies at the moment, first we heard about huge projects such as The Dark Tower and Clue being scrapped, but now Vulture is reporting that the studio is also putting Ouija into turnaround.
Dropping the movie will see Universal paying toymaker Hasbro a whopping $5 million penalty as was laid out in their deal from 2008. The adaption was set to be directed by McG and produced by Michael Bay, who are now reportedly meeting with other studios. There has been no confirmation of any interest, although there are reports that Paramount Pictures has turned the project down.
Ouija was just one of four Hasbro adaptions that Universal was reportedly interested in, the others including Battleship, Stretch Armstrong and Candy Land. It is not known what went wrong with the movie as it got a new draft from Simon Kinberg very recently.
Since Comcast took over the studio back in January Universal has had to become far more frugal, leading to projects being ditched left, right, and centre. Former owner General Electric didn’t seem to have a problem with the studio blowing millions of pounds on movies, but Comcast aren’t so keen. The new owners started cutting expensive films almost immediately with Mountains of Madness being the first to fall.
Pinewood Studios has announced that Snow White and the Huntsman has officially started production as the crew as began constructing some sets at Universal Studios. This legendary tale been envisaged by Jon Roth, producer on Alice in Wonderland, Sam Mercer, producer on The Sixth Sense, and Rupert Sanders, responsible for Halo 3.
The film sees Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga) play the character that is the only person in the land to be fairer than the evil queen, played by Charlize Theron. The wicked queen is out to ruin Snow White but never thought that the one girl who looks to threaten her hold over the land would have been training with huntsman, Chris Hemsworth. If you weren’t already blown away by the names in this flick, Sam Clafin also has the role as Snow White’s prince.
Group Corporate Affairs Director at Pinewood Studios, Andrew Smith, said, “The sets and costumes look fantastic, and I am continually struck by the talented and skilled craftsmen and women currently working in the UK film industry”.
The highly anticipated take on the classic Brothers Grimm take, Snow White and the Hunstman is due to hit cinemas on 1st June 2012.
Alex Winter originally scripted his film about peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster as a fictionalized drama but after The Social Network pipped him to the post with their Facebook story he changed his vision and took the documentary route. The film is being backed by the division of VH1 that made Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
Talking to Deadline, Winter has said that the Napster story completely revolutionized the way that the media and information works. File sharing technology made everything we now use on a daily basis possible, and so he feels that his story is still worth telling.
Napster was one of the first companies to be hit by the legalities of allowing free MP3 downloads and it was hit with a copyright infringement in 2002. The service now only exists on a paid subscription basis, which was always its original intent but got knocked back by record companies.
As a result of their ignorance, founder Shawn Fanning decided to take it down a rogue route because the record companies wouldn’t give him the chance to create something similar to iTunes. Fanning and Napster co-founder Sean Parker (JT’s character in The Social Network) are both involved in the movie amongst many other big names.
Winter claims that he is creating an unbiased view of the story which will see both sides able to share their views as he goes on to say that he can understand both sides of the debate.
Jonah Hill has just signed on the dotted line for upcoming sci-fi comedy Neighbourhood Watch and joined the expanding cast list. We already know that Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Rosemarie DeWitt are all aboard so this could end up being comedy gold.
The plot finds Stiller’s character moving from the city to the suburbs, presuming that everything will turn boring and quiet. He joins a group of married men who form a neighbourhood watch group – code for get out of the house. However, the group ends up discovering an alien invasion plot…
Vulture broke the news of Hill’s involvement in the film last week but it wasn’t confirmed as it was thought that his wages may have sent 20th Century Fox’s budget through the roof. However, it looks like they must have worked out a deal as Deadline is now reporting that Hill is formally on the cast list.
Hill has worked with Stiller previously in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and you can catch him on screen soon in The Sitter, and Moneyball alongside Brad Pitt. Neighbourhood Watch is being directed by Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod) who is working from screenplay penned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
Ben Affleck has just started shooting the Middle East hostage drama Argo with Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Scoot McNairy, but he has still managed to find the time to line up a new project. Affleck has entered negotiations with Warner Bros to direct, produce and star in Line of Sight.
The plot for the new film follows an “elite commando squad transporting cargo while dealing with a global threat. That’s about all the information we have on the story line so far and it sounds pretty standard, that is until you hear that Affleck is considering a first person shooter flick.
It is also a bonus that it was originally writer for F. Scott Frazier and has recently been tended to by Peter O’Brien (Halo: Reach). However, unless the angle of this movie is pulled off properly it will end up being a flop a bit like Doom. Affleck has proven that he can work on action movies, take The Town for example, so it will be interesting to see what he creates for his fourth film.
Affleck went through a bad patch a few years ago after a string of poor films which left him being ignored for major productions. However, he has turned all that around and even had the balls to turn down Man of Steel!
Puss in Boots ended up being a favourite character in the Shrek franchise so it makes sense for Dreamworks to take advantage with a spin-off. Puss in Boots is getting ready for its December release date, with a new online motion poster. This piece of creative marketing sees Puss chasing the spotlight and acting well embarrassingly cat-like.
The plot of the movie will follow the life of Puss, voiced by Antonio Banderas, before he met Shrek and the gang. He goes on a venture with Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and the distracting Kitty (Salma Hayek) to steal the goose rumoured to lay the infamous golden eggs. He also hears that two murderers, none other than Jack and Jill are on the loose and have the power to end the world.
The movie will be directed by Chris Miller who was responsible for Shrek The Third back in 2007 so is familiar with Puss. Aside from Puss there are no other original Shrek characters because it was not known at the time whether any additional Shrek films would be added to the series, so a decision was made to ensure that there were no conflicting storylines.
The film will hit the big screen on 9th December.
Daniel Radcliffe is rapidly growing out of Harry Potter’s wizard robes as he finds himself turning to a darker side in The Woman In Black. This isn’t some stupid take on Men In Black either, this is a real movie adapted from Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name (which has previously been adapted for the stage) and a reboot of the 1989 feature film.
The plot sees a young lawyer called Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) leave his young son at home in London as he sent in to organise a deceased clients papers in a small remote town, only to stumble across the ghost of a scorned woman. The spectre haunts the town, making parents lock up their children inside as whenever she is spotted, a child dies.
The film is due to open in cinemas in the UK on 10th February next year, but Radcliffe can be seen prior to that on Broadway. If you have a spare buck or two you could always pop over to New York to see him on stage in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. If that’s not an option, for now you will have to settle for the latest official poster for The Woman In Black and multiple Harry Potter reruns.
Justin Lin is a director in demand following the success of the fifth instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast Five. However, he may have just broken a few hearts as he has just signed up to an exclusive deal with Universal Pictures for two years. Variety reported that Lin is now set up for a number of projects planned for developments over the next couple of years through his Barnstorm Pictures.
The studio already has announced Fast Six, which is due for release on 27th May 2013 and will see the full cast reunite once more. In addition to this project which Lin will definitely direct, he is set up to take on Leading Man, an as yet untitled sci-fi project, and an untitled historical drama.
Lin’s team at Barnstorm includes Elain Chin, president of production and previously a development executive at Fox and HBO Films. Currently Lin is a busy man, he is still attached to the fifth instalment of the James Camerson Terminator series but no further details have been released on that; and two other movies, Lone Wolf And Cub, We Disappear, and Brigands Of Rattleborge.
Have you ever wanted to see the release of a 3D erotic costume drama film from Hong Kong? Well your wish has been granted in the form of 3D Sex and Zen: Extereme Ecstasy. A red band trailer has just been released on the Empire website, and should you be in work, I’d click away now.
If we are honest, the movie doesn’t exactly sound like a blockbuster hit, or one of those films that will eventually become a classic. However, it has just been released in Asia and taken more than HK$40 million at the box office – beating two of the biggest films of the last century, Titanic and Avatar.
3D Sex and Zen is an adaption of The Carnal Prayer Mat, a novel which tells the story of Wei YangSheng a Ming Dynasty scholar. The film does have a predecessor released back in 1991, called Sex and Zen, and the producer is back for the 3D follow up.
The film contains a lot of sex, in fact, it seems that is pretty much all it contains, aside from small sections of people fighting. If this is your kind of movie, you will probably be in 3D sex heaven. Remember, don’t watch the trailer in work unless you are looking for a way to the exit door.
Alexander Skarsgard seems to be getting job offers left, right and centre at the moment. The True Blood star has already signed up to play a Viking in The Vanguard and now he is in the middle of negotiations for Brit Marling’s The East.
Marling has co-written the script and will star in the movie with the leading female role as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating the eco-warrior group, The East. Skarsgard will be the terrorist group leader who plans to target a number of unethical corporations.
Marling will also be reuniting with Zat Batmanglij who wrote Sound Of My Voice alongside Marling; he has signed up to direct The East. Shooting is scheduled to take place in October and November this year in Nashville, and we predict it will be released by Fox Searchlight, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
In the meantime Skarsgard has plenty to keep himself occupied as he will next be seen on the big screen in Melancholia, What Maisie Knew, Battleship and Straw Dogs, but he will also be back for the next season of True Blood. Whereas Marling will be working on Robert Redford’s latest project The Company You Keep.
Djimon Hounsou has just signed up to play the Angel of Death in Alex Proyas’ (The Crow) Paradise Lost alongside Bradley Cooper and Ben Walker. The film, based on John Milton’s epic 17th century poem of the same name, has been in development for a number of years but is now starting to come to life.
The plot will expand on the argument between archangels Lucifer (Cooper) and Michael (Walker) who have a fall out over God’s love for his new human creations. Hounsou’s character informs God of Lucifer’s plans but only finds out that he already knows exactly what is going on. Lucifer launches an army against the good forces and ends up being rejected from heaven. The script will also see the role the angels play in Adam and Eve’s story.
The screenplay has been created by a mix and match of writers including Byron Willinger, Stuart Hazeldine, Philip de Blasic, Ryan Condal and Lawrence Kasdan. Proyas plans to start shooting later in the year, utilizing performance-capture technology, after seven years of development. Paradise Lost does not have a scheduled release date but it is expected in cinemas in 2013.
Caleb Landry Jones has just landed a lead role in Byzantium, Neil Jordan’s new vampire flick, after leaving an impression for his performance as Banshee in X-Men: First Class and in The Last Exorcist. The film already has Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan confirmed as members of the cast, they will play a mother and daughter duo who are also vampires.
Byzantium is being adapted by Moira Buffini from her own play, and will see the mother and daughter arriving in a UK town where Ronan announces that she is a vampire. Unsurprisingly, her school mates don’t believe her and assume she is joking, until they realise the truth.
Jones is set to take on the role of a teenager dying of leukaemia who forms a relationship with Ronan’s teenager character, and in turn makes them both think about immortality.
The plot is a very unique take on a vampire flick but the trio have the potential to make it work. Neil Jordan is directing, and Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen have signed up to produce via their Number 9 company after picking up the rights a couple of years ago. Jones will net been seen on screen in Contraband.
From just $1.6 million the budget horror flick The Last Exorcism managed to take $62.5 million worldwide, so it is no surprise that they are planning to release a sequel. The movie was a fake documentary style of film which saw an evangelical preacher called Cotton Marcus invite a documentary crew along to his final exorcism to prove that the practice is a con and expose the ministry.
He chooses a request a random, and visits farmer Louis Sweetzer that believes his daughter is possessed by a demon called Abalam. Marcus plants all sorts of speakers and electronics prior to the exorcism to trick the family into thinking he has performed an exorcism. However, they end up discovering a lot more than they originally thought.
The first film was penned by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland but for the responsibility has been handed to Damien Chazelle for the sequel. With only one feature film credit to his name, will he be able to live up to expectations?
There hasn’t been any confirmation on a title for the Exorcism follow up or even what the plot is, but we’re hoping for another blockbuster hit.
If you are a fan of the TV show I imagine you could sit through nearly 90 minutes of this torture, which I can guarantee brought me no glee whatsoever. Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is basically a celebration of the highly successful television series, and although no prior knowledge is needed, if you do not know what a Gleek is you might want to avoid this.
The characters are part of a glee club with each having their own social problem or other teenage dilemma, rather than the music. Large parts of the film are filled with actors miming bad pop songs and attempting to dance – rather disappointing. The worst part of the film is a tasteless and thoughtless act by able-bodied actor Kevin McHale who plays paraplegic Artie, who leaps from his wheelchair to perform a song and dance.
The whole joy of a concert movie is to feel like you were there at the live show, something that this 3D Concert Movie is unable to achieve. The camera work is crazy, zooming into the stage on zip wires and whizzing around the performers, creating anything but a realistic impression of the actual show. Also, the 3D is completely pointless and just makes the film even more unbearable.
As you can probably guess by the uninspiring title, Final Destination 5, this is the fifth film in the Final Destination franchise. The first four films in the series saw teenagers getting splattered by Death in one way or another; and the fifth is exactly the same. I can only presume the success and popularity of the franchise is simply because young adults are sick and the studio can spend an absolute fortune on crazy death scenes.
The latest movie starts off with a group of eight people on a bus on a suspension bridge way above a river, as they make their journey to a business retreat. Number 1 in the group – I’ve given up with names by this point – has the far from unexpected vision that the bridge will collapse. Number 1 then encourages the other seven members of the group to get off the bus, as they obviously haven’t seen the first four films and know that his premonition is about to come true.
This fifth (and presumably not final) instalment sees a couple of new ways to kill people but the general idea is the same. None of the eight members of the group particularly stand out as actors that we should be keeping an eye out for in the future, unlike Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the third.
Overall, you get exactly what you would expect if you have seen the first four films, but if the filmmakers had spent a little more time concentrating on the script rather than the blood and gore, there might have been a half decent teen horror movie.
The fourth instalment of the Underworld franchise has been a long time coming, so it isn’t really a surprise that it took two directors and numerous writers to create it. Underworld: Awakening has just had its first official trailer released and let’s just cross our fingers it is better than the poor attempt at a prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.
Kate Beckinsale is of course returning to her role as the Lycan hunter Selene, but this time she will be escaping after a number of years in captivity. The world is a different place altogether, for starters humans know all about vampires and werewolves, and let’s just say, they don’t like them.
A war has started berween the species which sees Selene back to her usual self slitting throats and causing damage wherever she goes. She also goes in search of the long lost daughter she never knew existed, Eve, who is a Lycan/vampire hybrid by the way.
Joining Beckinsale on the cast list are Michael Ealy, Charles Dance, Stephen Rea, and India Eisley. It will be interesting to see what Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein have managed to create. If you’re as intrigued as me you can go and see the movie on January 20, 2012.
Jason Reitman’s latest movie Young Adult has just had its first teaser poster released. For the first time in a long time we have an original idea, a mock-literary style image! The movie stars Charlize Theron as a recently divorced woman in her 30’s who writes young adult fiction.
