Friday, November 1, 2013

‘Addams Family’ Animated Movie Back in Development

It’s been exactly twenty years since the release of Addam’s Family Values, the sequel to Men in Black 3 helmer Barry Sonnenfeld’s debut film as a director: 1991′s The Addams Family. The big-screen adaptation of the fondly remembered 1960′s TV series (which in turn was based on the morbidly funny one-panel New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams) is arguably responsible for the TV-to-movie remake craze of the 90′s, and remains one of the best and most beloved of that particular genre.

While the two original films were successes, any hope of a threequel was put to rest after the death of the late, great Raul Julia (who played patriarch Gomez). A completely recast third film, Addam’s Family Reunion, was quietly punted to video and then forgotten. Talk of a 3D, stop-motion animated remake (in black and white) from Illumination Entertainment (the Despicable Me films) and directed by Tim Burton persisted, with a script from Burton’s Ed Wood writers, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, but that project never happened.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Will Combat Hans Zimmer Blandness With A Supergroup Score

In the world of music composers, we tend to make note of the select few elite masters of the trade. John Williams returning to the Star Wars franchise? Hell yeah. Michael Giacchino scoring Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland? We’ll take it. But Hans Zimmer’s recently announced collaboration with Pharrell Williams for the score of Marc Webb’s highly anticipated The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had us a little quizzical. And now we’re completely taken aback as a musical "supergroup" has formed for this film, according to a press release, comprised of The Smiths’ legendary non-Morrissey songwriter Johnny Marr, producer and Eurythmics musician Dave Stewart, and Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger. So, does this sound like a great idea for a movie score, or a mess as chaotic as the Sgt. Pepper album cover?

The news was announced by Sony Pictures’ Worldwide Music president Lia Vollack, who said "this kind of collaboration is only possible because of who Marc Webb is – not only director but also a musician – combined with who Hans is and what Spider-Man means to so many people. Nobody has ever approached film music in this way before and this likely can never be replicated."

Channing Tatum In Talks To Star In Jonathan Levine's Bad Romance

As though Channing Tatum didn't already have enough on his plate with five movies set to come out between now and the end of 2014, today he's added yet another big project to his upcoming slate. Sources have told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor is now in talks to both star in and produce Bad Romance, the latest title from writer/director Jonathan Levine.

While the trade report is flush with details about the people involved with the project, it's very light on any details regarding what the movie is about - and with a director like Levine at the helm that means that the project could end up falling into a wide variety of categories. The filmmaker made his directorial debut with the horror movie All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (which was made in 2006 but didn't get released until this fall), but in the years since he has done an excellent job mixing things up and never doing the same movie twice.

SLEEPAWAY CAMP Eyed for Franchise Reboot

The 1983 horror film Sleepaway Camp would likely have been resigned to the catacombs of copycat slasher flicks were it not for a disturbing and shocking final scene that cemented its place as a cult classic.  The success of the original spawned a number of sequels, but now Jeff Katz is looking to reinvent the source material for a new generation.  Katz optioned remake rights from writer/director Robert Hiltzik, producer Michele Tatosian, and actress Felissa Rose, who starred as the bullied teen Angela in the original film.  The remake seeks to pay homage to the psychosexual themes of the 1983 film while bringing a modern touch for today’s audience.  Speaking of the original Sleepaway Camp, Shout Factory recently announced that the film will make its Blu-ray debut in the spring of 2014.  Hit the jump for more, including the trailer for the original film.

‘Star Wars 7′ Struggling to Make 2015 Date; Disney CEO Won’t Allow Delay to 2016?

There’s been a good deal of rumor-mongering about the release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, with claims that the seventh installment in the sci-fi space opera juggernaut will launch in either November 2015 or December 2015, in spite of Disney’s continued assurances that a Spring/Summer 2015 premiere remains the target date.

Today, we add some additional fuel to that fire, in the form of another story that raises doubts about when the movie will hit theaters (and no less than one day after the one-year anniversary of the Mouse House’s original announcement that it was buying Lucasfilm). Such news rounds out a tough week of speculation and unconfirmed reports about the development process on Episode VII, after the story from a few days ago that suggested Disney and Lucasfilm have been forced to get the ball rolling on a fifth Indiana Jones movie (in order to get Harrison Ford to commit to appearing in the next Star Wars trilogy).

Joe Roth to Produce Blind Wrestlers Drama 'Unleash the Mules' at Sony

Chris Parker, who is working with Roth on "Heaven Is For Real," wrote the script for the faith-based inspirational sports film.
The producer and writer of the upcoming adaptation Heaven Is For Real have set their sights on another faith-based, inspirational true-tale.

Sony has picked up Unleash the Mules, inspired by a real story of a team of blind wrestlers.
Joe Roth, the man usually behind such spectacle tentpoles such as Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful, is producing. Roth’s son, Zack Roth, and Dennis Stratton will also be involved in producer roles.
Chris Parker wrote the script, which, according to sources, tells of how in 1956 Henry Lebash, chafing to leave his teaching job at the Missouri School for the Blind for a gig at up-and-coming IBM in California, nevertheless agreed to create a wrestling team before he left.
Read More (Sourse) >>

Stunning New ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ IMAX Poster; Budget Expansion Explained

The Quarter Quell is nearly upon us, and to herald its arrival there have been some pretty fantastic posters unveiled for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In addition to character posters for each of the individual Tributes, who this time around have been selected from a pool of past victors, there is also a pretty inspirational poster showing Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) standing on a mountaintop framed by a set of Mockingjay wings in the clouds.

Some of the best movie posters in recent years, however, have been specially commissioned for IMAX releases, and have featured work by a range of different professional artists. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Star Trek Into Darkness and Skyfall, among others, all got the IMAX poster treatment and the latest design for Catching Fire is stunningly detailed.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

ENDER’S GAME Set Visit, Part Two: The Surreality of Meeting Harrison Ford

Midway through February of last year, the good folks at Lionsgate invited about half-a-dozen members of the online press (myself included) out to New Orleans, where director Gavin Hood was midway through production on his $110m adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s  seminal sci-fi novel, Ender’s Game.  Initially, it sounded like it’d be the usual studio-sponsored field trip:  we’d take a tour of some sort, watch a scene or two being filmed, cast members would be made available for interviews, and at some point the film’s director would find the time to talk to us about how things were coming along.  Pretty standard, far as set visits go.

As it turns out, our day on the Ender’s Game set was anything but “standard”.  Meet me after the jump to find out why we needed NASA clearance to get on Hood’s set, what kind of sets you can build inside a 1.87 million square foot building, and what happened during our two separate run-ins with Colonel Graff himself, Harrison Ford.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2's First Trailer To Debut With The Hobbit

Thanks to his efforts towards building the villainous team known as the Sinister Six in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, director Marc Webb is certainly not lacking in any kind of nerd cred, but today he has earned himself some big points. Much in the same way that he did constantly through the shooting of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 this past summer, the filmmaker has taken to his Twitter account to announce that the first ever trailer for the new web-slinging wall-crawler movie will be in theaters with The Hobbit 3D this December.

Sadly, this means that we still have a good long while to wait before we get to see any footage from the superhero sequel. While this Friday will see the calendar turn over to November (where did this year go?), Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug won't be in theaters until December 13th - meaning that we have more than six full weeks to wait before the trailer arrives in theaters. Presumably the preview will be online before its theatrical release, but attached to the next Middle-earth film will be the only place to see it in 3D.

Universal to Remake South African Crime Movie 'iNumber Number'

Universal Pictures has optioned the remake rights to iNumber Number, a South African thriller written and directed by Donovan Marsh that premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Chris Morgan, the writer of Universal’s Fast & Furious flicks, and his partner Emile Gladstone will produce the remake via their Universal-based Chris Morgan Productions. Aram Tertzakian of XYZ Films is also producing.

The action thriller centered on an honest undercover officer who, after he's cheated from a major promotion, crosses over from cop to robber in order to orchestrate a major heist that he hopes will be a one-way ticket to easy street. Things go awry when the gang discovers his true identity and take his partner hostage.

‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Gets Script Polishing from ‘The Wolverine’ Writer; Filming Delayed

There’s less than a year to go before Anastasia Steele will be brought to life on the big screen in Fifty Shades of Grey, the erotic romance tale based on the novel (and former Twilight fan fiction) by author E.L. James. After a long search during which many actresses declined the role, Dakota Johnson (The Social Network) eventually agreed to strap in and play young Ms. Steele, but finding her counterpart hasn’t been easy either.

In the book, Ana’s adventures begin when she meets billionaire Christian Grey, an Adonis with a drawer full of blindfolds and anal plugs, so Universal Pictures and Focus Features needed to track down just the right talented hunk to play this physically perfect but emotionally distant man. For a short while Pacific Rim star Charlie Hunnam was set to play the part, but earlier this month he dropped out and left the studio scrambling to find a replacement before filming begins.

Troll Hunter Director To Make English-Language Debut With The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal caught our attention back in 2011 with his inventive horror-fantasy Troll Hunter. And at long last he's offering us a follow-up called The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Digital Journal reports the film will also be of the horror genre, but unlike Trollhunter it will be in English.

As you might rightly assume, The Autopsy of Jane Doe begins with the autopsy of an unidentified woman, who was young, beautiful, and evidently murdered. Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing penned the original screenplay that's plot follows a father-and-son team of coroners, whose quiet life working in a small town mortuary is disrupted by the curious questions that arise from bizarre clues found on the body of this Jane Doe. These clues not only hold the key to how she was killed but also to some truly terrible secrets.

Alexander Soskin to Direct Johnny Thunders Biopic

Alexander Soskin has signed to direct an adaptation of Nina Antonia's bio Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood, set to begin production in 2014, L.A.M.F. Films in Los Angeles has announced. Thunders, the guitarist for the influential 1970s punk bands the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers, once told a cheering audience at a concert, "OK, you got it, I'm gonna die tonight -- I'm gonna die up here," but he actually died in New Orleans in 1991. Though he was a notorious addict, some think his death involved foul play.

"Johnny's guitar actually sings," said Morrissey, among the many big names he influenced, including members of the Sex Pistols, KISS, and Guns N' Roses.
Soskin, an assistant editor on Sexy Beast, whose first short film, Tunnel Vision, won the gold and audience awards in the Nike Young Directors competition, is also attached to direct Gunned Down, starring Craig Fairbrass and Steven Berkoff, for Screen 360. Antonia's 1987 book, hailed by NME as "a gorgeously sordid biography," was updated in 2000 and has been in print for 25 years. The film concerns the wild rollercoaster ride of Thunders' life as seen by Antonia, who had no idea what she was in for when she befriended Thunders. He called her "the smartest chick I ever met."

‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Getting a Sequel Titled ‘London Has Fallen’

The White House got an unwelcome visit from paramilitary terrorists twice this year, in Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen and Roland Emmerich’s White House Down. Interestingly, while the former grossed less worldwide in theaters than the latter ($161 million vs. $205 million), Fuqua’s R-Rated solo man on a mission thriller outgrossed Emmerich’s blockbuster in the U.S. ($99 million vs. $73 million) and cost less than half as much to make; hence, it was declared the winner in the copycat movie showdown.

Further proof that Olympus Has Fallen deserves the crown for “Most Successful America, F-Yeah! Movie of 2013″? The film has earned a sequel – titled London Has Fallen – that is slated to begin principal photography in the eponymous UK capital city in May 2014, with a good chunk of the original cast already confirmed to reprise their roles.
Read More (Sourse) >>

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot: Rumored Reed Richards Actor Confirms Talks

Iron Man may have been the film that kicked off the idea of a shared cinematic superhero universe, but as fans are coming to realize, it is far from the last. While Marvel Studios works its way through Phase Two of its superhero movies (with next month’s Thor: The Dark World well on the way), Sony and Fox – who still retain movie rights to select Marvel characters – are putting plans in motion to create their own cinematic playgrounds.

Sony, of course, is busy planning to expand the Spider-Man universe in next year’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (and its sequels), but Fox arguably has a more difficult task at hand. The latter studio not only aims to unite the convoluted timeline of the numerous X-Men films with next year’s time travel tale X-Men: Days of Future Past, it’s also tasked with resurrecting the Fantastic Four brand.

'Trick 'r Treat' to Get a Sequel

The surprise announcement was made by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull at a special screening of the cult horror movie at Beyond Fest.
Trick ‘r Treat is getting a sequel.

The announcement was made by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull at a special screening and Q&A event for the movie at Beyond Fest, held at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre.
The horror anthology written and directed by Michael Dougherty and made by Legendary has garnered quite a cult following for a movie that never got a theatrical release. (Warner Bros. was to have released it but backed out.)

Made in 2007, the movie starred actors such as Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, and Leslie Bibb and told four stories held together by the appearance of Sam, a silent little…thing... in an orange suit and a burlap sack as a mask that is a creepy embodiment of the spirit of Halloween.

John Belushi Biopic Casts Emile Hirsch In The Lead Role

Early last week we learned that the list of actors being considered for the lead in the upcoming John Belushi biopic had been whittled down to just four names. Emile Hirsch, Adam Devine, Adam DeMamp (of Comedy Central’s Workaholics) and Joaquin Phoenix were reportedly the final performers whom director Steve Conrad and the producers were considering for the part - and today they've officially made their decision. Hirsch, who was most recently seen earlier this year starring alongside Paul Rudd in David Gordon Green's Prince Avalanche, has been cast to play the Animal House and Saturday Night Live star.

Based on a script written by Conrad, whose credits include The Pursuit of Happyness, The Weather Man and the upcoming The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the biopic will tell the true story of how Belushi used his incredible comedic genius to become one of the biggest comedians in film and television, only to have it all ripped away by drugs and alcohol. The star died at the young age of 33 in Los Angeles, California due to an overdose of cocaine and heroin. Dan Aykroyd, who was one of Belushi's best friends and frequent collaborators, will be serving as executive producer on the project (and will very likely be a character in the story).

Never Send a Boy to do a Man’s Job; Check Out a Promo Poster for THE EXPENDABLES 3

With director Patrick Hughes’ The Expendables 3 due August 15, 2014, I’d imagine we’re getting close to seeing the first trailer/footage from the film.  As most of you know, the next installment has Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross and his Expendables crew squaring off against Ross’ old partner Conrad Stonebanks, played by Mel Gibson.  Returning for the sequel are Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, and Harrison Ford joining the all-star cast along with Kellan Lutz, MMA star Ronda Rousey, welterweight boxing champion Victor Ortiz and Glen Powell.  No matter what you think of The Expendables franchise, you have to admit it’s a hell of a cast, and one I can’t wait to see kicking ass next summer.

So while we wait for the first footage to hit, we were sent a promo poster which you can check out after the jump.  It’s got the tag line, “Never send a boy to do a man’s job.”

‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2′ to Be Scored by Hans Zimmer & Pharrell Williams

Much of the time, the musical scores of superhero films are as outsized as their subjects. One need only hear the opening bars of John Williams’ classic opening theme for Superman or the pounding drums of Hans Zimmer’s Batman Begins score to evoke Metropolis or Gotham City.

For all its good qualities, 2012′s The Amazing Spider-Man sported a fairly lackluster example of the usually bombastic superhero score. Perhaps this is why that film’s composer, John Horner, has been switched out in favor of the aforementioned Zimmer for its sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Intriguingly, it looks like Zimmer will actually receive help on the film’s music with an somewhat unusual source – veteran rapper, producer, and composer Pharrell Williams.

Miles Teller Confirms Fantastic Four Talks

The rumors are true, folks: Miles Teller has indeed been having conversations about the possibility of playing the extra stretchy superhero Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. The problem, however, is that the success of another possible franchise for the star could possibly prevent him from taking the part. It's the kind of problem that we all wish we could have.

Fandango caught up with Teller at the on-going Savannah Film Festival down in Georgia where the actor essentially confirmed that he has been having conversations about starring in his first comic book movie. Asked about the possibility of starring in The Fantastic Four the actor said, ""Uh, you know, I don't know. If that happens, if everything works out, then I will be pretty pumped. But then I'll also be working for ... it's like seven months out of your year. Which is not a bad problem."

‘Evil Dead’ Remake Director Confirms Sam Raimi Directing ‘Army of Darkness 2′

Universe building is all the rage in movies these days, and alongside superheroes and sci-fi, horror is expanding its scope as well. Paranormal Activity has a expansion series, The Marked Ones, headed to theaters in early 2014, and after the Evil Dead franchise was revitalized with a successful 2013 remake, there’s been a rapid expansion of that series’ world – both old and new.

First came news that Sam Raimi might be jumping back into the franchise with an Army of Darkness sequel with star Bruce Campbell returning. Things got wilder when it came to light that not only was Campbell back for that project, but that there would also be a sequel to Fede Alvarez’ Evil Dead reboot. Finally heads nearly exploded when fans learned that the Army of Darkness continuity with Campbell and the rebooted Evil Dead 2013 continuity could eventually culminate in a crossover film.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)