Screen Rant » Rob Keyes

New ‘Men in Black 3′ Clip Ties In With Viral YouTube Marketing

Rob Keyes — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:11:58 +0000

With shows like Lost and films like The Dark Knight popularizing the idea of viral marketing to take advantage of the excitement and word-of-mouth potential from their respective fanbases, it’s practically become the norm for major summer blockbusters to employ similar types of alternate reality games (ARGs). The Avengers did it with their Acura-sponsored online campaign which let fans sign up to join the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization (I joined!) and right now, Men In Black 3 is doing it as well.

Allow me to ~~blow the cover~~ introduce you to BugEyes, a kid who goes by Bugeyes126 on YouTube. He’s a fictional character (or is he?) determined to find the truth behind the Men in Black and expose them. As we found out today, he also makes a brief appearance in the film itself.

The first video from BugEyes appeared March 1st where he introduced himself, a ...

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‘Chronicle’ Director Josh Trank To Helm ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ Adaptation

Rob Keyes — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:34:52 +0000

Despite the unraveling of what was going to be a very strange (read: unwanted) adaptation of the Uncharted video games, Sony Pictures is continuing to push the genre forward through developing several other brands for the live-action treatment. Sony signed with Ubisoft Motion Pictures to develop the Assassin’s Creed film in a deal that didn’t sit well with rival studios and as we learned today, they’re still planning a live-action feature film based on Team Ico’s Shadow of the Colossus.

Deadline has the update on the latest important video game title that’s entering development, a place where countless projects still sit as the video game movie genre remains in an uneasy place, unproven but ripe for emergence. Sony aims to make Shadow of the Colossus a large-scale blockbuster with the help of producer Kevin Misher (Mirror Mirror) and have signed Josh Trank (Chronicle) to direct. Back in 2009, Sony had hired Justin Marks (Street ...

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The Avengers Breaks Second Weekend Record, Crosses $1 Billion

Rob Keyes — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:09:12 +0000

After breaking several international box office records, The Avengers opened in North America last weekend to become the biggest film opening of all time, handily beating out previous record holders The Dark Knight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 while becoming the first ever film to cross the $200 million mark on its domestic debut.

In its second weekend, Earth’s Mightiest continue their success story, becoming the first every film to cross $100 million in its second weekend while also crossing the $1 billion worldwide total mark, just 19 days after its first opening overseas.

Last weekend’s actual haul for The Avengers was $207,438,708 and this weekend, with only a 50% drop, the estimates have Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster earning another $103.2 million in North America. With these estimates, The Avengers is expected to cross the 10-figure ...

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Rebecca Hall Now Up For Lead Role in ‘Iron Man 3′

Rob Keyes — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:45:42 +0000

Two weeks ago, it looked as if Marvel Studios had landed another promising star to join the growing cast of Iron Man 3, but we found out yesterday that Oscar-nomintated Jessica Chastain simply couldn’t take the gig due to scheduling conflicts.

Chastain had reportedly beat out Diane Kruger, Gemma Arterton and Isla Fisher for the part, but it’s none of these names who Marvel Studios is in talks with now for the role. As we mentioned yesterday, director Shane Black needed to find a replacement quick with Iron Man 3 gearing up for production in the coming weeks, and they have, with Rebecca Hall.

Variety is reporting that Disney and Marvel Studios are in talks with the British actress take on the role described as a “sexy” and ...

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Disney CEO Confirms ‘The Avengers 2′ is In Development

Rob Keyes — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:38:16 +0000

With Marvel Studios delivering Disney the biggest theatrical opening ever with The Avengers this weekend, there was nothing but smiles of the faces of those at The Walt Disney Company sharing the corporation’s second quarter earnings today.

The Avengers has banked over $700 million worldwide in less than two weeks, having been open only five days in North America. Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger announced today that The Avengers 2 is already in development.

The reality of The Avengers 2 is a given, the only question is when. The film is such a massive hit at the box office that we wonder how it’ll affect Marvel Studios’ plans going forward. Next year they have Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, and the following year, Captain America 2. Do they want The Avengers 2 so badly that they’d put it in ...

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Jessica Chastain Cannot Join ‘Iron Man 3′

Rob Keyes — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:11:47 +0000

[Update: Rebecca Hall (The Town) is now up for the role.]

Superhero movies are on the up and up, especially for Marvel Studios who managed to break the record for the biggest weekend opening ever with The Avengers. With the team-up film’s release, Marvel has successfully completed their first set of films and established their brand among the industry’s biggest.

With the success of The Avengers and three solo character sequels on the way over the next two years, there’s so much more to come, but will they be able to top The Avengers? Their first attempt to comes next summer with Iron Man 3, a film which begins shooting this month and one that needs to quickly find a replacement actress.

After the wonderful news of Oscar-winner Sir
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‘The Avengers’ Post-Credits Scenes Explained

Rob Keyes — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:16:02 +0000

Fans of Marvel Studios movies generally know to stay to the end of the credits for a bonus scene, one that typically introduces a character or teases the next film in the franchise. The tradition began with Iron Man where Samuel L. Jackson infamously showed up in Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.’s) apartment and name-dropped The Avengers, a moment which laid the groundwork for the future of the franchise.

Every Marvel movie since (with the exception of The Incredible Hulk which moved its scene into the main film) has included some sort of tag/button at the end of the credits, but The Avengers (i.e. the biggest opening film of all time) included two; One during the credits and one special scene added after the credits which didn’t play until the film opened in ...

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Edgar Wright Offers Well-Timed ‘Ant-Man’ Tease

Rob Keyes — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:38:26 +0000

Marvel is the biggest thing in Hollywood right now with The Avengers breaking the record for biggest film opening ever to kick off the 2012 summer movie season. With similar success seen by Earth’s Mightiest internationally, Marvel now has the creative potential to do anything they please going forward and to take the risks they may have shied away from previously.

So, how long until Marvel goes smaller with the long-in-development Ant-Man movie from Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish? Perhaps sooner than we think.

Last year at San Diego Comic-Con, Edgar Wright took to the stage as part of the panel for Attack The Block and being in that atmosphere, he couldn’t avoid the inevitable Ant-Man inquiries from fans. At the time he said they had handed in a revised script and even had some Ant-Man concept ...

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‘The Avengers’ Is The Biggest Movie Opening Ever [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:10:34 +0000

The box office estimates are in for the May 4th weekend and SHIELD’s Helicarrier just destroyed Hogwarts. Marvel’s The Avengers has become the world’s biggest film opening ever, dominating previous record holder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and The Dark Knight by over $30 million domestically.

The Avengers isn’t just winning the love from moviegoers and fans however, as it’s also earning high critical praise with a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.5/5 score in Screen Rant’s own review of The Avengers. Let’s take a look at the numbers and comparisons.

According to the Walt Disney Studios estimates up on Box Office Mojo, The Avengers ranked in $200.3 million domestically (including a record-breaking $15.5 in Canada) over the weekend after also succeeding as the biggest midnight opening ever for a superhero film ($18.7 million ...

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New ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Stills Showcase A Classic Lizard Design

Rob Keyes — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:47:51 +0000

With Marvel Studios only a day away from kicking off the summer movie season in North America tomorrow at midnight with The Avengers, rival studios Sony and Warner Bros. will share in the glory as well. Each will launch the third and final trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, respectively, attached to the theatrical run of The Avengers.

The Dark Knight Rises trailer released earlier this week and while we wait for The Amazing Spider-Man‘s most important piece of marketing to release shortly, we do have two brand new stills from the film offering a detailed look at The Lizard which fans will appreciate.

At the outset of Sony’s plans to quickly reboot the Spider-Man franchise, there was understandably a lot of cynicism thrown towards the project. By bringing in Marc Webb and ...

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Marvel Has Big Plans for Black Widow

Rob Keyes — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:41:49 +0000

Not long after Iron Man 2 hit theaters in 2010, Marvel Studios’ President of Production Kevin Feige revealed during a press conference that Marvel was chatting with Scarlett Johansson to develop concepts for a potential Black Widow spin-off film.

Black Widow of course, is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent first introduced in Iron Man 2 who appears in a more prominent role in The Avengers this week, and with the character’s profile and popularity increasing as a result, there’s an even greater chance of Black Widow solo film becoming a reality alongside additional confirmed “appearances.”

It’s not only the sexy Russian spy who has solo film potential, but Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye character (and Black Widow’s partner) as well. Renner of course, is a hot ticket in Hollywood and was highly sought after to not only take ...

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Kevin Feige ‘Confident’ in Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange & Inhumans Movies

Rob Keyes — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:14:42 +0000

From observing even the smallest portion of photos, trailers and marketing materials for The Avengers, it’s clear that Marvel Studios’ flagship film offers and out-of-this-world experience. And that’s every bit intentional.

Moviegoers worldwide have not only familiarized themselves with the likes of Iron Man and Thor over the last few years, but the heroes are now welcomed with open arms. The Marvel cinematic universe has successfully established itself and going forward, their storytellers can explore the furthest depths of science fiction and supernatural elements the Marvel Comics has to offer.

While reflecting on his initial grand vision for the Marvel cinematic universe – to a point in time before Iron Man even released in theaters – Kevin Feige explained to Movieline that he was admittedly, naively confident that Marvel would not only make one or two blockbusters based ...

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‘The Avengers’ is Already Breaking Overseas Box Office Records

Rob Keyes — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:49:36 +0000

Despite all of the early reactions and buzz surrounding The Avengers stemming from its press premieres around the world, the film doesn’t open in North American theaters until May 4th – a wait, we can agree, that is far too long. Most of Europe benefits from having the film open before this weekend, but some international markets enjoy an even earlier start.

The Avengers opened Wednesday night in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and several other smaller overseas markets, breaking a few box office records before it hits the rest of the international scene Thursday and Friday.

According to the early numbers, The Avengers - Marvel’s longest film to date – raked in nearly $8 million last night, $6 million of which came from its Australian premiere, home of Thor actor Chris Hemsworth. That haul places The Avengers as ...

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Jessica Chastain In Talks to Join ‘Iron Man 3′ Cast [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:52:37 +0000

Although there is a lot of uncertainly surrounding expectations for Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios and new helmsman Shane Black are certainly starting on the right foot with news surrounding recent and potential casting additions. First it was Oscar-winner Sir Ben Kingsley in talks to play an Iron Man 3 villain, then it was fan-fave Guy Pearce joining the cast as geneticist Aldrich Killian.

Soon, we may be adding Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain to the growing (and star-studded) Iron Man 3 ensemble as well.

Deadline has the latest casting scoop which points towards Chastain being offered the role of a “sexy” and “smart” scientist in a leading role, but she initially couldn’t do it due to scheduling issues. Diane Kruger, Gemma Arterton and Isla Fisher were reportedly lined up as potential replacements but thanks ...

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‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Gets New Trailer With ‘The Avengers’

Rob Keyes — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:18:11 +0000

With all of the hype generated by the LA and Moscow premieres of The Avengers adding to the excitement from the full-force marketing push by Disney and Marvel Studios, The Dark Knight Rises has taken a temporary back seat as their comic counterparts enjoy the spotlight.

That shift in attention has made for some interesting discussion behind the scenes here at Screen Rant as we debate and ponder which of the comic book juggernauts is the most anticipated of the year, but it’s impossible to tell right before one releases thanks to said studio marketing. Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises will re-engage its promotions by attaching a brand new trailer (its third) to The Avengers.

The news comes from Nolan Fans who spotted the third TDKR trailer listed on the WB Exhibitor site. According ...

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Final ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Posters Embrace a Darker Tone

Rob Keyes — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:21:54 +0000

A few weeks from now a Marvel film (The Avengers) will kick off the summer movie blockbuster season, to be followed up a few weeks later by another Marvel flick in Sony and Columbia Pictures’ reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man. It’s only been five years since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy came to end and before DC Entertainment makes amends for last year’s Green Lantern with this year’s The Dark Knight Rises, we have Marc Webb’s 3D Spidey reboot with star Andrew Garfield as the new face of the franchise.

Over the weekend we saw the film’s Japanese trailer, and there’s been no shortage of set photos and images of Garfield as Peter Parker and in costume as the titular hero or of Rhys Ifans’ as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard. Adding to the media, today we have a pair of new posters for The Amazing Spider-Man.

Less than two months from release,
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Mysterious (And Creepy) New ‘Prometheus’ Images

Rob Keyes — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:49:34 +0000

Recent stills and images from this summer’s Prometheus have offered fans of Ridley Scott’s science fiction work a few more glimpses and teases of the characters, lore and tech of the film, but the story remains a mystery.

Twentieth Century Fox held an event in London recently where they premiered 20 minutes of footage from the film and from that preview came a few more mysterious new images, animations and a detailed diagram of the Prometheus starship featured prominently in the Prometheus trailers thus far.

First up is the Prometheus ship from Weyland Corp which the crew uses to travel from Earth to the mysterious planet discovered from ancient star maps found on ruins here on Earth. It’s conceptual art with six key components labelled, each likely called out for a specific reason related to scenes in the film.

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Gary Ross is (Officially) Not Directing ‘Catching Fire’

Rob Keyes — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:20:23 +0000

A few weeks ago a non-3D, non-sequel film broke several box office records when The Hunger Games splashed into theaters and positive reception. Now, Lionsgate has a brand new mega movie franchise to work with over the next few years – but they’ll be doing so without one key player: director Gary Ross.

Ross directed and co-wrote The Hunger Games adaptation but over the last few days, it’s been a bit of a back and forth on whether or not he would return for the sequel, Catching Fire. As it turns out, he’s not. For real this time.

The Playlist did the groundwork on breaking this scoop last week and they were right all along, first reporting that Ross would not return to ...

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Sir Ben Kingsley in Talks to Play ‘Iron Man 3′ Villain [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:02:12 +0000

Next month not only marks the beginning of an action-packed summer of superhero movies, led by Marvel’s The Avengers, but it also hosts the beginning of production on Iron Man 3.

With principal photography creeping up soon, new casting additions have to be completed even sooner and so two weeks ago came a casting call sheet revealing important information about returning characters joining Robert Downey Jr. We know Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson are all back from Iron Man 2, and they may just be joined by newcomer Ben Kingsley for the threequel.

Variety has the scoop, reporting that Sir Ben Kingsley is in final negotiations to play “the villain” of Iron Man 3. Any movie fan familiar with Kingsley’s repertoire and ...

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‘Captain America 2′ Confirmed For April 2014; Ant-Man Next?

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:56:23 +0000

In December, Marvel Studios adjusted their schedule of release dates for 2014 by moving their June time slot to and odd pre-summer date of early April. As we just found out from Disney today, that early April weekend is reserved for Captain America 2.

When actor Neal McDonough said a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger could begin shooting as early as this year, he wasn’t joking. Read on for details and a brand new still from The Avengers!

The Avengers is done and will hit theaters in four weeks to kick off the summer movie season. Later that month, Iron Man 3 begins production and either during or just after, Thor 2 will also enter principal photography so they can both release next year. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 will both be helmed by new directors in
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