Screen Rant » Rob Keyes

Extended ‘John Carter’ Super Bowl Commercial [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:42:18 +0000

[Update: Check out a new action-heavy TV spot for John Carter!]

Andrew Stanton had a difficult task adapting Edgar Rice Burroughs “A Princess of Mars” into a live-action film, balancing the maintaining of source material with the need to make an accessible film for Disney that casual moviegoers can get behind. The special effects affair is led by MVP Taylor Kitsch (also featured prominent in the Battleship Super Bowl commercial) and Lynn Collins, both of whom starred in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Watch the extended 60-second Super Bowl commercial for John Carter below and see if it has the potential to become the next Pirates of the Caribbean success story for Disney.

John Carter is the type of film for fans of classic sci-fi and if moviegoers can accept the high-flying action and abundance of alien creatures featured in the ...

Click to continue reading Extended ‘John Carter’ Super Bowl Commercial [Updated]

‘The Avengers’ Super Bowl Commercial [Extended Version]

Rob Keyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:41:05 +0000

We are a day short of three months until The Avengers opens in theaters, giving fans what they’ve been anticipating since The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man proved Marvel Studios could deliver big-budget, quality epics on their own. For casual moviegoers, there’s not been much to go on thus far, with Marvel having released only one version of The Avengers trailer, a trailer which revealed very little about the film’s story other than the fact it involves all of Marvel Studios’ characters who’ve had their own movie already.

That changes today with Marvel purchasing one of the extremely expensive time slots during the Super Bowl to showcase The Avengers to the world with brand new footage. It paid off with Iron Man back in 2008, will it work again for The Avengers?

For Marvel’s online fanbase, The Avengers director Joss Whedon jumped on Twitter this week along with fan-favorite stars of the series Clark Gregg, Samuel L. ...

Click to continue reading ‘The Avengers’ Super Bowl Commercial [Extended Version]

‘Battleship’ Super Bowl Trailer is All About The Alien Invasion

Rob Keyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:11:20 +0000

Last summer saw the first full trailer for Peter Berg’s unique take on Battleship, showcasing how the classic Hasbro board game would play out in live-action if one of two opposing naval fleets were replaced by alien invaders and all of the ships were loaded with good-looking people. The second Battleship trailer was more of the same and for those looking for eye candy and action, it mostly delivered.

Reaction was mixed to our early looks at Battleship with all footage demonstrating a clear case of style over substance with a heavy use of Transformers-esque visuals and sound effects, intertwined with laughable character moments. Can Universal Pictures swing some positive buzz with their most important marketing push yet, a TV spot during Super Bowl XLVI?

Featured in the Battleship TV spot is Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch ...

Click to continue reading ‘Battleship’ Super Bowl Trailer is All About The Alien Invasion

Teaser For ‘The Avengers’ Super Bowl XLVI Commercial

Rob Keyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:26:30 +0000

Believe it or not, The Avengers will be in theaters around the world in just over three months. Despite the proximity of its release, fans still haven’t seen much from the movie outside of The Avengers trailer which only showcased characters introduced in Marvel Studios’ previous films that set the foundation for the team-up epic.

Director Joss Whedon, joined by fan-favorites Clark Gregg, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Hiddleston, took to Twitter today to partake in a half-hour online event, answering questions about The Avengers from fans. The event closed with the following sneak peek at the The Avengers Super Bowl XLVI Commercial with this short, but sweet teaser.

In the marketing so far, a big deal has been made by the choice words spoken by the villainous ...

Click to continue reading Teaser For ‘The Avengers’ Super Bowl XLVI Commercial

Resident Evil: Retribution Trailer is A Big Sony Advertisement

Rob Keyes — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:23:21 +0000

It’s an exciting time for Resident Evil fans, with two major video games coming out, another rumored to be announced this week, and of course, the franchise’s fifth film, Resident Evil: Retribution debuting in September.

2010′s Resident Evil: Afterlife introduced 3D into the franchise and gave the series its largest box office haul yet, kick-starting a fifth installment into production for Paul W.S. Anderson to helm once again with his wife Milla Jovovich returning to play Alice on her quest to eradicate the Umbrella Corporation. The next movie is also coming in 3D and its first teaser trailer is now out.

After living off of only set photos and casting announcements these last few months, Sony Screen Gems has finally unveiled the first official Resident Evil: Retribution trailer and it’s something that fans of the series will be pleased with… or perhaps not ...

Click to continue reading Resident Evil: Retribution Trailer is A Big Sony Advertisement

Katee Sackhoff & Jordi Molla Join ‘Riddick 3′ as Mercenaries

Rob Keyes — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:51:54 +0000

After years of developing the project, writer/direct David Twohy and star Vin Diesel finally managed to get the untitled Riddick 3 project off the ground and into production. That is, until (lack of) financing shut down principal photography for two months. Things are back on track now since Once Race Films paid their bills and not only is the crew back shooting, but the film’s cast just grew by two.

Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff has signed to co-star in the sequel to Chronicles of Riddick as the female lead. Deadline is reporting that Sackhoff will be playing a character named Dahl, a Nordic mercenary on the hunt for Riddick. We can assume female lead also means potential love interest – especially since casting director Anne McCarthy previously described the character as a “sexy female ...

Click to continue reading Katee Sackhoff & Jordi Molla Join ‘Riddick 3′ as Mercenaries

‘Star Trek 2′ Adds ‘Thor’ Actor Joseph Gatt

Rob Keyes — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:37:02 +0000

After a few delays and the surprising departure of Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro, Star Trek 2 is finally underway, with principal photography commencing this week. In addition to the returning cast of our favorite Starfleet characters and crew of the Enterprise, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch headlines a batch of new talent who’ve enlisted for the sequel to J.J. Abrams’ franchise reboot.

Cumberbatch is expected to play the lead villain, joining the previously-cast Alice Eve and Peter Weller in undisclosed roles. Other recent Star Trek 2 castings include Noel Clarke (Doctor Who), Nazneen Contractor (24) and one actor we just found out is also onboard: Joseph Gatt.

Gatt is another Brit actor – the third in a week – who made quite a few headlines over the last ...

Click to continue reading ‘Star Trek 2′ Adds ‘Thor’ Actor Joseph Gatt

Matthew Vaughn in Talks With Potential ‘Kick-Ass 2′ Writer/Director

Rob Keyes — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:54:54 +0000

One of the surprise hits among critics last year was the adaption of Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s Kick-Ass comic book mini-series. The Rated R superhero comedy of sorts was directed by Matthew Vaughn without studio backing due to fears about the riskiness of its extreme and controversial content.

Vaughn raised the money himself and after debuting a few Kick-Ass clips at San Diego Comic-Con, there was immediate interest and it was picked up by Lionsgate shortly thereafter. It opened in theaters on April 16, 2010 and brought in just under $100 million at the worldwide box office. So, what’s up with Kick-Ass 2?

With mostly positive reviews, strong word of mouth and home video sales, fans (and cast members) have since demanded a sequel, but there’s been a serious lack of movement on the project. After the release of Kick-Ass, Vaughn was recruited by Bryan Singer – ...

Click to continue reading Matthew Vaughn in Talks With Potential ‘Kick-Ass 2′ Writer/Director

Our 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:27:19 +0000

2011 had its share of disappointing movies, but among the good we had our favorites and it’s not dampening our spirits as we look forward to 2012 - where again, there are more major films releasing than there are weeks in the year.

From comic book, sci-fi and fantasy epics, to prequels, sequels and reboots, many of film’s iconic characters and actors make their way to the big screen again this year, and have earned their place among Screen Rant’s most anticipated movies of 2012.

Click to continue reading Our 20 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

Benedict Cumberbatch Enlists For ‘Star Trek 2′ [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:35:56 +0000

It was a month ago today when we found out that Benicio Del Toro had turned down a role as the primary villain of Star Trek 2. The news broke alongside multiple reports that the character Del Toro was in the running to play was the long-rumored Khan, the most iconic of Star Trek villains.

With the holidays approaching and principal photography beginning this month, J.J. Abrams and co. were in a hurry to find a replacement and names including Édgar Ramírez and Jordi Mollà quickly surfaced as potential replacements, but it is among the unlikeliest of actors where they may have found the film’s antagonist: Benedict Cumberbatch.

There’s no official word from Paramount Pictures yet regarding the signing of the Brit actor, but The Wrap has the scoop that Benedict ...

Click to continue reading Benedict Cumberbatch Enlists For ‘Star Trek 2′ [Updated]

‘Game of Thrones’ Director Alan Taylor Now Helming ‘Thor 2′

Rob Keyes — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:40:38 +0000

Three weeks ago we learned that Monster director Patty Jenkins would no longer be stepping into Kenneth Branagh’s shoes to helm Thor 2. Shortly thereafter, as more details poured out on situation, fingers pointed towards Marvel Studios as the source of the controversy, indicating that they had fired her from the job, much to the displeasure of Natalie Portman, who was an advocate of Jenkins getting the gig in the first place.

Jenkins marks yet another names joining the quickly growing list of directors separating with the studio over “creative differences.” Marvel, in a hurry to lockdown a replacement, reportedly had TV directors Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan on their shortlist, both of whom worked on Game of Thrones. As it turns out, one of them got the gig.

Click to continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ Director Alan Taylor Now Helming ‘Thor 2′

What Films Are Coming From Marvel Studios in 2014?

Rob Keyes — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:51:48 +0000

Marvel Studios has had a tough time keeping to their plan of two theatrical releases per year. Delays with Thor and The Avengers had Iron Man 2 release by itself in 2010 and next year, The Avengers is without a partner since Runaways was indefinitely postponed. For 2013 and 2014 however, it’s back to two films/year or… more.

Today, the news came from Disney that Marvel would be releasing The Avengers in 3D (post-converted), but that unsurprising news was padded with something far more interesting: Marvel Studios claiming another release date in 2014 to release one of their films earlier.

Up until now, the official slate of upcoming films from Marvel Studios was scheduled as follows:

2012

The Avengers (May 4)
~~Runaways~~ (canned)

2013

Iron Man 3 (May 3)
Thor 2 (~~July 26~~ pushed back to November 15)

2014

Unknown (May 16)
Unknown (June 27)

As ...

Click to continue reading What Films Are Coming From Marvel Studios in 2014?

The Avengers Gets A Prequel (Comic)

Rob Keyes — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:50:04 +0000

The next movie coming from Marvel Studios is of course, The Avengers, the most ambitious movie we’ve seen from the genre to date. It’s taken five films to introduce the core team of heroes for The Avengers and while the most recent Marvel movies – Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger - served as lead-ins of sorts, there’s still a lot of backstory to be told in setting up the team-up epic.

So to help set the stage for Marvel’s launch of The Avengers movie and brand, eager fans will be able to learn more about Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the other heroes by reading Marvel’s The Avengers Prelude, a comic book miniseries that serves as a prequel to the film.

Marvel’s The Avengers Prelude is a four issue limited series based ...

Click to continue reading The Avengers Gets A Prequel (Comic)

Patty Jenkins Possibly Fired From Thor 2; Natalie Portman Not Happy

Rob Keyes — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:37:31 +0000

While movie and comic books fans may be eager to return to theaters for the upcoming Marvel Studios movies, the same cannot be said for returning to the production side of things for some of the talent involved in making them.

We learned last week that after signing on to direct Thor 2, Marvel Studios and Patty Jenkins parted ways, bringing the number of directors who’ve dropped from a Marvel Studios project due to creative differences up to three in the last year. That’s quite a lot for a studio that has only released five of their own movies so far.

Patty Jenkins (Monster) had signed on to take over for Kenneth Branagh in helming the Thor sequel in October but ...

Click to continue reading Patty Jenkins Possibly Fired From Thor 2; Natalie Portman Not Happy

‘The Expendables 2′ Trailer is A Showcase of Action Stars

Rob Keyes — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:35:52 +0000

When Sylvester Stallone assembled his cast of bad-ass action stars for The Expendables, which included cameo appearances of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only thing fans desired was more. The Expendables 2 promises to deliver exactly that in spades.

Adding more 80s action heroes who initially turned down opportunities to play a part in the first flick, legends Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme now join the team along with several other notable stars. The first poster for The Expendables 2 hit last month to showcase the unbelievable cast and now we have the very first teaser trailer which does the same.

Fans who enjoyed the ’80s throwback should be losing their minds at the realization that The Expendables 2 and its cast actually exists and is coming next year. The list of who’s involved is more than enough to warrant a trip to the theater and Lionsgate knows this, ...

Click to continue reading ‘The Expendables 2′ Trailer is A Showcase of Action Stars

Daniel Craig: ‘Skyfall’ Better Than ‘Quantum of Solace’ & ‘Casino Royale’

Rob Keyes — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:36:45 +0000

Martin Cambell may have let us down this summer with Green Lantern but there’s no debating his masterful job in rejuvenating the James Bond franchise with Daniel Craig as the new 007 in 2006′s Casino Royale. It not only earned the love of fans new and old with a grounded take on the British super spy, but it earned a sequel, one that wasn’t so well received.

Titled Quantum of Solace, the more action-focused sequel earned the same success at the box office as its predecessor, but it did not earn the same respect from fans and critics. As it turns out, star Daniel Craig wasn’t too fond of it either and promises better with his third outing: Skyfall.

In ...

Click to continue reading Daniel Craig: ‘Skyfall’ Better Than ‘Quantum of Solace’ & ‘Casino Royale’

Creative Differences Are Knocking Directors Out of Marvel Movies

Rob Keyes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:15:36 +0000

Marvel Studios now has five movies under its belt, with a sixth coming next summer in The Avengers, two confirmed for 2013 and another pair of unannounced films scheduled for 2014. All of these movies exist in a shared universe, taking part in an ongoing continuity with an overarching storyline running congruently in the background.

While seeing movies follow the comic books in this respect makes The Avengers possible, this strategy does also have its downside as we saw most evidently in Iron Man 2. Each movie by Marvel Studios must follow certain guidelines and must include certain characters portrayed in a very specific way, thus restricting the creative freedom of the filmmakers and talent involved.

Combine this lack of creative freedom with Marvel’s ...

Click to continue reading Creative Differences Are Knocking Directors Out of Marvel Movies

New Clues Uncovered For ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral

Rob Keyes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:53:58 +0000

Yesterday we shared what we believed to be the beginnings of the viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight Rises, which stemmed from a pair of mock-up CIA documents released online. Although seemingly having nothing to do with Gotham City or stories we know from the Batman universe, the man pictured in one of the documents was identifiable as a member of the cast of The Dark Knight Rises and his character, as described by the documents, matched the description of his role in the film.

Today we have another document, confirming this to be the case, along with information for how The Dark Knight Rises viral will launch tomorrow with “Operation Early Bird.” We also have an early look at what will be revealed next.

Empire and Wired each posted ...

Click to continue reading New Clues Uncovered For ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral

Has ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral Marketing Campaign Begun? [UPDATED]

Rob Keyes — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:22:31 +0000

Ever since The Dark Knight and Lost, viral marketing campaigns have almost become the expectation in certain film and television genres. Christopher Nolan’s films of late lend themselves perfectly to this sort of creativity and fan involvement.

We saw it with Inception last with the use of dream research websites, not unlike the Joker “Why So Serious?” website and “I Believe in Harvey Dent” site, which both played smart parts in the comprehensive online marketing for The Dark Knight. For Nolan’s third Batman movie, we can expect the same and it looks like it may have already begun.

Wired and Empire have both posted mysterious images that resemble CIA documents. They’re not real (of course) and they can’t say which film these are for, other than ...

Click to continue reading Has ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral Marketing Campaign Begun? [UPDATED]

Lionsgate To Bring Back ‘Saw’ Franchise

Rob Keyes — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:32:53 +0000

Fans of the horror film genre may have felt a feeling of emptiness this Halloween when realizing there was no Saw film playing in their local theater. For the first time in seven years, Lionsgate did not release a new Saw movie but we knew this was going to be the case since before Saw 3D (Saw 7) even released.

Dropping the number from its title, introducing 3D into the franchise and adding a subtitle which emphasized the conclusion of the franchise, the plan was for Saw 3D: The Final Chapter to be the end. But where there’s money to be made, how can such a franchise truly be done with?

This was a question I posed to the director and cast of Saw 3D before it released in theaters and Costas Mandylor, who plays the murderous Hoffman in the ...

Click to continue reading Lionsgate To Bring Back ‘Saw’ Franchise