Screen Rant » clash of the titans

Clash of the Titans Trailer Is Here!

Rob Keyes — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:22:21 +0000

After seeing some low-resolution photos of what looked to be some awesome one-sheets for Louis Leterrier’s upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans, combined with its stellar cast, I couldn’t be more excited to see Sam Worthington lay down the pain as Perseus against Medusa and the Kraken.

Based on Greek Mythology, the Warner Bros. production of Clash of the Titans is a remake of the classic 1981 film, well-known for its practical stop-motion effects. We’ve been waiting patiently to get a real good look at the film and that time has finally come.

So without further ado, here is the first official teaser trailer for Clash of the Titans:

Check out the HD version at Yahoo.

The cast already had me in the theater as did director Louis Leterrier who did a fantastic job with The Incredible Hulk last year. It looks cool to me (although I miss the Ray Harryhausen practical effects and this is the opposite extreme) and I can’t wait for more. If you’re looking for more on Clash of the Titans, be sure to check out the set photos and behind-the-scenes footage we posted recently.

Here’s the synopsis if you’re curious about the story:

In Clash of the Titans, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Seeing and knowing Worthington as the star here alongside his role in this summer’s Terminator Salvation will help moviegoers will see him as a higher profile star which may help leading up to next month’s eagerly anticipated release of James Cameron’s Avatar.

What do you think of the trailer?

Clash of the Titans stars Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Danny Huston and Jason Flemyng. It’s set to hit theaters March 26, 2010.

Source: Yahoo

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Poster Friday: Kick-Ass, Avatar, Green Zone, Wolfman & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:59:26 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! For our first Friday of November 2009, we’ve again gathered the latest posters to come out for this week’s poster round-up. So, before you head out to see this week’s opening movies, namely The Men Who Star at goats, A Christmas Carol, The Box and The Fourth Kind, check out the latest promo sheets below.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for Kick-Ass, The Wolfman, Conan, The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse, Clash of the Titans, Scream 4, A Single Man, Avatar, Machete, Green Zone, Let Me In, Tell Tale and The Men Who Stare at Goats.

We also have a few bonus items for this year’s Pixar movie, Up.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here’s the first (awesome) batch of Kick-Ass posters that IGN premiered yesterday:

Continue to the next page for the other Kick-Ass posters and more!

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New Clash of the Titans Photos Reveal Zeus!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:06:36 +0000

Today we have for your several new photos for Louis Leterrier’s upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans from two different sources. From these new looks of the main characters, I’d say that the movie is looking pretty darn good, at least visually.

The new images include several of the lead character, Perseus, played by rising star Sam Worthington and also our very first look at Zeus, played by Liam Neeson. We get a real good look at the aesthetic of some of the massive set pieces and a detailed look at the sweet armor the characters will wear on screen.

Check them out after the jump!

If you’re exciting for this film, like I am, these new photos reveal more than the recent behind-the-scenes footage we saw and the previous batch of set photos from back in May.

To start, here are some Empire exclusive images for Clash of the Titans which feature Sam Worthington looking bad-ass in the film which he describes as gritty and harsh.

The first is of the new Empire cover showing off Sam in costume ready to kill something:

Click the image to see their larger version

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Clash of the Titans Set Footage

Ross Miller — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:55:39 +0000

Today we have a quick but cool look at the production of the upcoming remake of the classic film, Clash of the Titans, starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation). In addition to this, we also have some new info from Worthington himself about the monsters of the film – the giant scorpions and the infamous Medusa – and the epic scope of it.

First up is some new set footage from Clash of the Titans. The video runs only about a minute long but it gives us a nice look into the filming of one of the more epic remakes in the pipeline – It’s just a neat teasing hint at what’s in store for us from director Louis Leterrier.

I won’t say anymore but rather just let the footage speak for itself. Thanks to MTV, take a look:

Now, about the monsters of the film, back in July we got a look at a Clash of the Titans set photo (shown below) that presented us with one of the huge scorpions that are going to appear in the film. In the original 1981 movie, Perseus (the character Worthington is playing this time around) has to do battle against some giant scorpions, and back then, the special effects and the spectacle were a sight to behold for audiences. With the special effects technology that’s available these days, that will be the case again for the modern remake assuming it’s not 100% CGI.

Again thanks to MTV (and First Showing), we have some more info about the nature of this Titans remake from Worthington. MTV got a chance to interview the actor on set of the film, where he said the following about the giant scorpions, the monster/villain, Medusa, and the scope of the film:

“What these guys and Louis [Leterrier] have set out to do is raise the richter [scale] to 11, in the sense of, the scorpions are the size of dump trucks, Medusa is a lot quicker and a lot more scarier, and the whole world itself is… big and epic in scope.”

Sam Worthington certainly looks the part – this project is sure to continue his rising success as one of modern movie’s new “go to” action stars. Terminator Salvation, the upcoming Avatar and then Clash of the Titans (he’s also rumored for the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake)? That’s an impressive list of A-list blockbusters for the Aussie actor who’s first role was post-2000.

With Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) at the helm for the Titans remake, I’m interested to see how it will turn out. The guy knows how to direct action (Hulk, Transporter 2 and Danny the Dog show that), and it’ll be interesting to see how he does with a period (albeit still epic action) film like this. I’m not usually down for remakes (if you’ve read Screen Rant for any length of time you should find that to be the general consensus ), but I’m willing to overlook that grievance because this one has such potential.

What do you make of the set footage for Clash of the Titans, as well as what Worthington has said about the movie?

Clash of the Titans co-stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Danny Huston and Jason Flemyng. It’s set for a March 26th, 2010 release.

Sources: MTV, First Showing

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Sam Worthington Talks Avatar, Terminator Reaction & More

Rob Frappier — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:01:42 +0000

Hollywood’s newest favorite Aussie actor Sam Worthington has a lot on his plate coming up. In addition to being the lead in James Cameron’s long-awaited special-effects extravaganza, Avatar, Worthington will be playing Perseus in the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans and is rumored for the part of Captain Nemo in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Wow, I’m just writing about these films and I’m tired.

Anyway, Steve Weintraub at Collider had the chance to sit down with Worthington on the set of Clash of the Titans to talk about some of his upcoming projects and his thoughts on his most recent big-budget film, Terminator: Salvation. Check out some portions of the interview below. For the full interview, make sure to head over to Collider.

On the critical reaction to Terminator: Salvation:

“You know, there was a lot of kind of, you know, I can nitpick with the best of them, man, and kind of go down the list of things I saw on IMDB where they found holes in it and go, you are f***ing right. If there was a big ten ton robot coming outside that gas station, surely we would f–king hear it! And I missed that. So I’m going to be a bit better when I’m looking through my f***ing scripts. So it raises my game a bit, because now I feel like an idiot for not saying it to McG, you know?”

On reactions to Avatar’s trailer:

“It’s got a hell of a lot of hype. I read all what was said yesterday about the, about the trailer. I can see their point. But as I said, it wasn’t meant to be built for an Apple Mac. It’s built for IMAX. It’s built for 3D. That’s what he’s designed it for. He’s designed it to bring people back to the cinema.”

On wanting to get involved with comic book movies:

“I’ve got a mate that like I was sending to Comic-con to go and find stuff. Man, he’s a dude, he plays Guitar Hero and reads comic books and I thought f–k it, I’ll put you on the pay roll. They’re the movies getting made so I flew him to Comic-Con and he had a ball, and he came back and went I met this person and this person and this person and this person… He came back with lots of different material. He talked to a lot of different kind of comic book companies.”

In a separate interview with the website Moviehole, Sam Worthington also talked about the possibility of reuniting with Terminator Salvation director McG for Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. While McG has gone on record as wanting Will Smith for the role of Captain Nemo, Worthington’s name has been loosely tied to the role since McG stated his preference for the actor in an interview with IGN UK a few weeks back. In the interview, Worthington states:

“We haven’t discussed it seriously. I wrote him an email and he wrote back saying ‘I don’t think you have these qualities, blah, blah..’ and I wrote back saying ‘it’s your job as a director to bring it out of me.”

Hmmm… Doesn’t sound too compelling. Nevertheless, the more I learn about Sam Worthington, the more I like him. In interviews he comes off as very down-to-earth and accessible, which is a great characteristic for an actor. I look forward to seeing his work in Avatar, Clash of the Titans, and (possibly) in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. What do you think? Is everyone fully on board the Worthington bandwagon, or is it just me?

Source: Collider and Moviehole

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Marvel’s Avengers According to Louis Leterrier

Rob Keyes — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:45:01 +0000

Louis Leterrier, the director behind last year’s The Incredible Hulk, made a lot of headlines in and around the time of its release by hinting at a Captain America cameo in the film as an “easter egg” that never really met our expectations. Now he’s at it again, this time talking about the major upcoming Marvel films, what he knows about them, what he’d like to work on, and what he’d like to do with The Avengers, given the chance.

In a Clash of the Titans set interview, LA Times journalist, Geoff Boucher, sat down with Letterier who wasn’t shy about revealing some of his ideas and thoughts on the upcoming slate of films in development at Marvel Studios. We’ve taken the best bits to discuss and share with you, and then we share what we think could be done with the eagerly anticipated Marvel team-up adventure.

Besides bringing the big Green man back to the silver screen, Leterrier also directed Transporter 2 and is currently working on the Clash of the Titans remake, which stars Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, James Cameron’s Avatar). On set for the production of this movie, the cast and director conducted the usual interviews for the press where interview, Geoff Boucher extracted some great tidbits from the Paris-born director.

Only a part of the complete interview has been made available for the moment and luckily, it’s the segment that we’re most interested with: The superhero movie stuff! It begins with talk about the Hulk franchise where Leterrier was asked about his interest in working on the sequel to The Incredible Hulk that Marvel may be interested in developing in the future.

His answer was surprisingly “no.” He explained that he’s contracted to do another film with Marvel and says that when he’s done with Clash of the Titans, he’ll go to Marvel and say “Guys you need me? Is there something I can do?”

From Marvel’s perspective, I’d imagine they’d want him to do the sequel since he already started the rebooted franchise and did a solid job of it. From Leterrier’s perspective though, the movie was surrounded by controversy about Norton’s creative differences with the studio as well as challenges during production. And while it performed decently at the box-office, it wasn’t what some expected and it barely beat out Ang Lee’s version in terms of financial results.

“Hulk was such a challenge. It was to reboot something and follow [the Ang Lee-directed 2003 “Hulk”] movie that was absolutely adored by part of the fan population and then absolutely hated by another part. It was complicated for me. I wasn’t sure what to do with that history. I did my Hulk but it was not easy. If I do another Hulk film it will always be compared to the Ang Lee thing, and my first one … if I come back I’d love to do another superhero, something different that I can really put my touch on.”

So, if Leterrier does direct another Marvel flick, and if it’s not a Hulk sequel… then what could it be?

Of course, The Avengers is brought up next. And of course Leterrier says he’d love to do it.

Here’s where it gets interesting. After explaining some of the films he would and would not like to do (he would have liked to do Iron Man, Captain America and a different Fantastic Four movie but didn’t want to do Thor, even though he’s a fan of the latest Thor comics), he went on to talk about the Captain America movie and his ultimate dream project…

Click to Continue Reading ‘Marvel’s Avengers According to Louis Leterrier’

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Clash of the Titans: Set Photo of Giant Scorpion

Ross Miller — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:36:17 +0000

Today we have a new photo from the set of the upcoming Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, Transporter 2) remake/update of Clash of the Titans. The image depicts a giant scorpion that was constructed for the movie (reportedly) on the Spanish island of Tenerife.

If you’ve seen the original Clash of the Titans, you’ll remember the giant scorpions that Perseus (originally played by Harry Hamlin) has to do battle with after he defeats (and collects the head of) Medusa. No telling if this remake will follow the original to the absolute letter, although I think we can speculate that scenes like battling the giant scorpions will raise the spectacle level, an inevitability when the studio has today’s amazing CGI technology to work with (although the original, I imagine, at the time would’ve been quite a sight to behold).

The giant scorpion snapped on the new movie’s set looks pretty bad-ass, and I imagine even more so when it’s been implemented into the final movie and in full action mode. Below is the new set photo (apologies for the small-ish size) plus a still from the original 1981 movie to compare:

Clash of the Titans (2010) scorpion set photo

Clash of the Titans (1981) scorpion

The original Titans scorpion obviously looks a bit more impressive since it’s fully within the movie, in action with its pincers at the ready. The scorpion from the new movie doesn’t look as lively, but I’m sure that will change once it’s been brought to cinematic life!

With an impressive cast and some great images (one in particular of Sam Worthington in action), the remake of Clash of the Titans is shaping up very well, indeed. Leterrier is a choice of director I didn’t see coming for this project, simply because he’s only ever directed modern (action) movies. However, he has shown he really knows how to do action with the likes of The Incredible Hulk and the second Transporter movie, so I’ll be interested to see how he does his usual thing in a period setting.

Clash of the Titans stars Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) as Perseus, Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) as Io and Danny Huston as Poseidon. It is currently shooting and is set for a March 26, 2010 release.

Sources: El rancor via ComingSoon

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Clash Of The Titans: Photo Of Gemma Arterton As Io

Rob Keyes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:55:23 +0000

One movie I’m definitely looking forward to next year is the remake of 1981 classic, Clash of the Titans. The film is looking great so far from the behind-the-scenes set pictures we’ve seen and the awesome image of Sam Worthington as Perseus. Combined with a good director and a very talented cast, I have high hopes for this movie.

Today, we have another set photo for the movie – this time, of Gemma Arterton in costume on set as Princess Io. The character is a demi-goddess who Perseus apparently has a keen eye for and she’s a new addition to the story, not having appeared in the original film.

Joining Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton in the cast of Clash of the Titans are Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Alexa Davalos, Danny Huston, Pete Postlethwaite and Jason Flemyng among many others.

Here is the first image of Gemma Arterton as Io – take a look and see what you think:

Click to Enlarge

We can expect to see boatloads of more images and marketing materials in the not too distant future as there is a ton to show off with this flick’s production, let alone the images of its incredible cast in costume.

Clash of the Titans is directed by Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, Transporter 2) and is set to open March 26, 2010.

Is this a movie you’ll be seeking out next spring?

Source: Gemma Arterton’s official website

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Sam Worthington Talks Clash of the Titans, Avatar

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:06:24 +0000

Actor Sam Worthington recently spoke to iF Magazine about what it’s like being “the ‘it’ star” of 2009. Having already made a splash in Hollywood with Terminator Salvation, Worthington will next star in James Cameron’s top-secret sci-fi epic Avatar this winter, and after that, in director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) remake of Clash of the Titans next March.

Check out what Worthington had to say about his role in Clash of the Titans (and be sure to check out the cool new pic of Worthington as Perseus!), as well as his upcoming role in Avatar:

On Clash of the Titans:

We’ve done two weeks…We took on the Medusa. We’ve took on the witches. Next week we’ve got to take on the Scorpius and then we go and f*cking kill the Kraken. So, you know, at the moment it’s all guns blaring kind of thing. It’s going to be good. I think Louis has got a very good eye and there’s a great bunch of people I’m working with.

The cast Worthington refers to includes Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as warring gods Zeus and Hades respectively (awesome casting, btw), as well as Bond girl Gemma Arterton as a nymph, Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) as Perseus’s fellow warrior, Draco, and Alexa Davalos (Defiance) as doomed princess/love interest, Andromeda.

This Clash of the Titans remake has sounded like a promising venture ever since it was first announced, and if you’ve seen the first picture of Sam Worthington as Perseus, you know why I say this film is looking as good as it sounds. But don’t take my word for it, here’s an additional look at the new version of Perseus:

Worthington as Perseus (click for larger image)

AVATAR

There has been little info about what we can expect from James Cameron’s Avatar. So far all we really know about the story is what we can glean from Avatar’s IMDB synopsis. We also know that Worthington plays Jake Sully, “…a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.”

So far, most of the buzz around Avatar has been related to the innovative motion-capture effects that James Cameron has created for the film – technology revolutionary enough to have some of Hollywood’s leading directors already praising Avatar. And while eye-popping F/X are cool, Worthington wants people to know that there’s an actual story gluing the film together:

…Jim’s very in touch with personal relationships especially with AVATAR, with what it means to be a man, you know? I can take that from it. How people were affected by bullies, and I think all those kinds of themes, and a sense of hope. If you settle that and then surround it with great technology and f*cking whiz-bang explosions, then you’re on the path to making something that people will remember when [sic] they leave the cinema and not just kind of go, ‘What did we just see?’

Sounds good, but is that experience – ‘remembering the movie when we leave the cinema’ – really commensurate with the hype surrounding Avatar? Guess we’ll know when the opening weekend box office gets tallied.

If you want to read more of Sam Worthington’s interview with iF Magazine (the actor talks Terminator Salvation, McG, the original Clash of the Titans and what it was like auditioning for James Cameron), you can do so by going here.

Otherwise, what do you think about what Sam Worthington has to say about Clash of the Titans? About Avatar? Is Worthington really the 2009 “it guy”, in your opinion?

Avatar is slated to hit theaters on December 18, 2009. Clash of the Titans is slated to hit theaters on March 26, 2010.

Source: iF Magazine via Coventry Telegraph

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Sam Worthington as Perseus in Clash Of The Titans

Niall Browne — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:47:11 +0000

Is Sam Worthington the new Russell Crowe? By the looks of this first official image from Louis Letrrier’s forthcoming Clash of the Titans, Worthington is channeling Crowe in Gladiator for his role as Perseus.

When news of a Clash of the Titans remake was first announced (my very first Screen Rant story!), I was highly skeptical of this new interpretation of Ray Harryhausen’s classic. Now, after seeing his image of Worthington, I’m pretty excited. However, I have only one qualm…

Worthington’s sword and shield aren’t half as cool as Harry Hamlin’s in the 1981 original!

Behold Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) as the mighty Perseus (click for larger image):

Now check out how cool Harry Hamlin looked back in 1981(note the awesome sword and shield)!

Pretty cool. While I really do love the original Clash of the Titans, I am willing to admit that it does have its flaws – Bubo being the main culprit. The remake was written by Lawrence Kasdan, the man behind Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Empire Strikes Back. (The Star Wars franchise definitely helped inspire the original Titans film, BTW: I mean what is Bubo besides a winged R2D2?)

And is it just me, or does Sam Worthington always seems to have the same hair in every film he’s in?

This new interpretation of Clash of the Titans has a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, as well as James Bond stars Gemma Arterton and Mads Mikkelsen.

I’m now really looking forward to this film – but only if it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Clash of the Titans opens on March 26, 2010.

Source: Slashfilm

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Clash Of The Titans Set Photos With Sam Worthington

Rob Keyes — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:58:28 +0000

Today we have a little collection of set photos for the upcoming Clash of the Titans remake. Some are of the awesome set pieces being put together and the newer ones are of Sam Worthington on set and in costume as Perseus.

Sam Worthington is huge in Hollywood and he’s still not ever had a big movie hit theaters! This all changes very soon with the Australian actor playing a major part in this Thursday’s Terminator Salvation, and the starring in James Cameron’s game-changer 3-D epic Avatar this December and he’s currently shooting this upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans.

Not a bad trio of movies to make a splash amongst the movie-going audience.

Take a look at these photos (Some are older that we didn’t cover yet, some are new):

Sam Worthington as Perseus

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Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – April 30, 2009

Niall Browne — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:07:17 +0000

Another week means another wrap up.

This week:
We Tell No One about a new remake; Hollywood decides to tell us about The Day They Stole The Mona Lisa; Wolverine’s Danny Huston is beyond the Poseidon adventure; Maria Bello and Craig T. Nelson are Company Men and Amanda Peet Travels with Jack Black.

1. Miramax will produce a remake of hit French thriller Tell No One.

The original film saw a French doctor discover that his dead wife may be alive – don’t get funny – I know that would mean she’s not really dead but get over it.

The film sounds like a 1990’s Hollywood thriller starring Michael Douglas or Harrison Ford (that’s not a bad thing). Jurassic Park producer and Spielberg protégé Kathleen Kennedy will produce the film.

The original film was based on a novel by Haralan Coben.

Source: Variety

2. Roger Donaldson the man behind such first rate thrillers as No Way Out and Thirteen Days will direct The Day They Stole the Mona Lisa. It’s not a sequel to The Day The Earth Stood Still – or Mona Lisa Smile for that matter.

According to Variety:

“The book centers on the theft of the world’s most famous painting from the Louvre in 1911. It was missing for more than two years before an Italian carpenter named Vincent Perugia showed up with the painting in Florence. The film will center on the conman who masterminded the theft.”

Even if the film doesn’t turn out to be good at least Donaldson will get a holiday out of it.

Source: Variety

3. Danny Houstin is taking the Poseidon. Sorry that was just a little bit of phonic toilet humor.

The X-Men Origins: Wolverine actor will play Poseidon in Clash of The Titans.
Son of the legendary John Huston.

The remake of the great Clash of The Titans will also star Terminator Salvation and Avatar star Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton.

Source: UGO

4. Maria Bello and Craig T. Nelson have joined the line-up of Company Men. The John Wells written and directed film will also star Oscar winners Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper.

The credit crunch drama is currently shooting in Boston.

Source: Variety

5. Amanda Peet will star alongside Jack Black in 20th Century Fox’s Gulliver’s Travels.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The modern retelling follows travel writer Lemuel Gulliver, who heads to an assignment in the Bermuda Triangle only to end up on the secret island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious tiny people. Peet will play Black’s editor and potential romantic interest.”

The original story was written by Jonathan Swift – the author behind the darkly comedic “A Modest Proposal”.

Peet is a serial co-star of Black’s High Fidelity chum John Cusack – appearing in three films with the actor – their next being 2012.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: April 26, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:45:35 +0000

This week:

Beyonce is Obsessed with being number one; Tony Scott and Denzel Washington are Unstoppable; it’s all Greek to Warner Bros. with Odysseus; James Marsden hassles the “Hoff” in Straw Dogs; will DiCaprio Beat the Reaper? Catherine is Keener for Jackson.

Box Office

It looks like all the independent women threw their hands up in the air for Beyonce Knowles starring Obsessed. The female fronted film grossed $28.5 million – which is about $10 million more than the studio predicted.

Zac Efron had to settle for a runner-up spot this week with an $11.5 weekend take for 17 Again. The film has so far banked about $39 million clearly going through the door-marked profit.

Channing Tatum (who’s on the cusp of big things with G.I Joe) and Iron Man’s (but not Iron Man 2) Terrance Howard came a close third this weekend with $11.3 million for Fighting.

Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr was fourth with The Soloist. The film which co-stars Jamie Foxx was delayed by Paramount and although reviews were good it couldn’t make enough sweet music. With a weekend gross on just over $9 million it looks like The Soloist might have to sing for its supper.

Monsters vs. Aliens earned another $8.5 million. With a total of almost $180 million – expect a sequel.

State of Play couldn’t use its good reviews to build on its audience. With just over $7 million it looks like the Russell Crowe/ Ben Affleck film will have to find its audience on DVD.

Hannah Montana: The Movie has now banked $65 million (if you care) at least Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus will be happy. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s Fast and Furious has powered to $145 million. I wonder how fast and furious the next installment will be?

Movie News

1. Tony Scott and Denzel Washington are like er… Tony Scott and orange filters – inseparable.
Washington is in talks to star in Unstoppable, Scott’s runaway train movie.

If Washington cho-cho-choses (I know I made that joke before) the action pic will be their fifth film together…

Their fourth The Taking of Pelham 123 opens on June 12.

Source: Variety

2. Warner Bros. have won a major bidding war for the script Odysseus.
According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story centers on the legendary hero Odysseus, famed king of Ithaca, who returns to his island after 20 years of fighting the Trojan Wars, only to find his kingdom under the brutal occupation of an invading force. Odysseus single-handedly defeats every last man and takes back his wife, his son and his kingdom.”

Warner’s seem to love Greek based movies – a few years ago they had Troy, 300 and they have the forthcoming Clash of The Titans.

Haven’t they heard the expression “beware of Greeks bearing gifts”?

Source: Variety

3. James Marsden will play the Dustin Hoffman role in Rod Lurie’s Straw Dogs remake.
The former X-Man will star in the film which is due to start shooting in August.
The controversial original film Sam Peckinpah saw an American return to his wife’s rural village in England, only for the locals to turn nasty.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. Brian Koppelman and David Levien have been hired to adapt the Josh Bazell novel Beat the Reaper in the hopes that Leonardo DiCaprio will star.

“The drama, being developed as a potential star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio, revolves around a Manhattan ER doctor whose life becomes complicated when a mobster recognizes him from his former life as a hitman.”

Well, we haven’t seen this since A History of Violence.

Source: Variety

5. Catherine Keener will join former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd in Christopher Columbus’ Percy Jackson.

The non Warner Bros. produced Greek fantasy film “put(s) Greek gods in modern times, (it) involve (s) Poseidon’s half-human son, Percy, who is on a quest in modern America to prevent a war among the gods.”

Keener will play Percy’s mother in the film which is currently shooting in Canada.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

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Fiennes And Neeson Clash Over Titans

Niall Browne — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:15:03 +0000

The Hulk director Louis Leterrier’s remake of Clash of The Titans appears to be snagging a cast that matches the original for acting talent. The 1981 film starred Harry Hamlin (maybe not him) in the lead role but it also had Laurence Oliver, Maggie Smith and err… former Bond girl Ursula Andress as Greek gods. Variety now reports that Ralph Fiennes and his Schlinder’s List co-star Liam Neeson are in negotiations to join Sam Worthington’s Perseus, another former Bond girl, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen (Bond villain!), and Alexa Davalos in the forthcoming Warner Bros. film.

In the film, Neeson would play Zeus and Ralph Fiennes would star as Hades, “Lord of the Underworld” which I can assure readers has nothing whatsoever to do with skin tight PVC, Vampires or Werewolves.

The original Ray Harryhausen-produced Clash of the Titans was a childhood favorite of mine and I’m pretty excited by the prospect of a remake – even if deep down I know that it’ll never match the magic of the original film. At the very least, it might give children today the same buzz that I got 25 years ago.

Clash of The Titans would be Taken star Neeson’s first film since the death of his wife Natasha Richardson in March and it marks something of a busy year for Fiennes who has a packed slate in 2009. The intense actor is scheduled to star alongside Ricky Gervais in The Men at the Pru; cameo in a sequel to Emma Thompson’s Nanny McPhee; shoot his role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and make his directorial debut with William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.

I say Fiennes should stop being so lazy and pack up his schedule even more!

Sam Worthington recently spoke with Empire magazine and said that the rumors that the Titans would be shot on green screen like 300 were totally false and that sets had been constructed for the Greek myth epic.

More Clash of The Titans news as we get it.

Source: Variety

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Bond Girl Gemma Arterton Joins ‘Clash Of The Titans’

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:47:58 +0000

Gemma Arterton, best known as Bond girl “Strawberry Fields” (who met an unfortunate oily end in Quantum of Solace), revealed in Empire Magazine’s “Empire Awards” this past Sunday that she will be joining the cast of director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) upcoming remake of Clash of The Titans.

Arterton will be sharing the screen with actor Sam Worthington, who is poised for a major breakout this year with his roles as Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation (which hits theaters next month), and a forthcoming role in James Cameron’s Avatar later this year. Not bad company to be in.

Clash of The Titans is largely based on Greek Mythology. It tells the tale of Perseus (Worthington), the son of Zeus and a human woman, who embarks on a series of adventures to win love and glory. Along his journey, Perseus manages to encounter pretty much every creature from A-Z in the Greek mythology index, including Medusa and the dreaded sea Titan, The Kraken. The original Clash of The Titans was released in 1981 and made a killing at the box office, in large part due to its now-classic battle sequences using stop-motion monsters.

Screen Rant reported on the script for the Clash of The Titans remake last summer, which is said to be much more grown-up, violent and linguistically sophisticated than the original (expect a lot of old-world Greek terminology to get thrown around).

Arterton’s character will be “lo” a demi-goddess who Perseus falls for (although I’m guessing the romance doesn’t work out). The character is a new addition to the story and did not appear in the original film – which is a good sign (IMHO) that the filmmakers are really trying to re-imagine the entire concept of Clash of The Titans, rather than trying to re-hash the original. We’ll see how it turns out.

In the meantime, Arterton has another big blockbuster film to keep her occupied: she has a featured role in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

Clash of The Titans is currently slated as a March 26, 2010 release.

Are you happy to hear that the lovley Gemma Arterton will be joining Clash of The Titans?

Source: Empire Magazine Online

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Which One Of These Release Dates Will Change?

Vic Holtreman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:40:21 +0000

Some new release dates have been announced by Warner Bros. for some pretty big movies, including Green Lantern, the final Harry Potter film, Sherlock Holmes, Jonah Hex and Clash of the Titans. The dates range from late 2009 all the way to summer 2011, and one of these movies picked a date that will make things interesting as far as a box office battle (if the date sticks).

Sherlock Holmes – December 5, 2009

Clash of the Titans – March 26th, 2010

Inception (Christopher Nolan’s next film) – July 16, 2010

Jonah Hex – August 6, 2010

Sucker Punch (Zack Snyder’s next film)- October 8, 2010

Green Lantern – December 17, 2010

Harry Potter – July 15, 2011

Clash of the Titans will be directed by Louis Letterier (The Incredible Hulk) and it seems pretty clear that we won’t be getting another Batman film for a while with Chris Nolan tackling Inception next (described as a sci-fi action film). Zack Snyder will follow up Watchmen (which at this point people aren’t hazarding a guess whether it will be huge or bomb) with Sucker Punch, which Snyder describes as “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns.”

One interesting release date is the one assigned to Green Lantern. A Christmas release for a superhero movie? That is quite strange and I don’t know what significance we can ascribe to that at this point. Right now Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) is still slated to direct.

What box office battle am I referring to? Well back in September, Marvel announced its Avengers movie release date: July 15, 2011.

So what is Warner Bros. thinking with releasing the final Harry Potter film (Deathly Hallows part 2) on the same date as The Avengers? Are they trying to get Marvel to move their date? Do they think these two films cater to completely different audiences so it doesn’t matter? Or are they really spoiling for a box office showdown?

Source: ERC Box Office via Cinematical

Image: Joe Bergeron

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Clash Of The Titans Gets Terminated

Niall Browne — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:54:29 +0000

Way back last year (to the very day!) my first ever Screen Rant post was about the in-development Clash of the Titans movie. At the time nobody was yet cast in the film, but we knew that Lawrence Kasdan had penned the script. We know that Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier will helm the film, but until now we didn’t know who would be slipping into Harry Hamilin’s sandals to play Perseus in the Ray Harryhausen remake.

That changed today when news broke that the star of Terminator Salvation would be starring in the $100 million budgeted film.

Sam Worthington will be playing the lead role in the R-rated Clash of the Titans – which is due to start shooting in late winter or early spring.

According to Variety:

“The film will be made for under $100 million because the visual effects will be accomplished using the greenscreen techniques that made 300 so visually arresting.”

I haven’t really gotten a comment on Worthington’s attachment to the film as I’ve never seen him in a film. However, I’m sure that will change once Terminator Salvation and James Cameron’s Avatar open next year.

Jeez – that man must have one hell of an agent!

More when we get it.

Source: Variety

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Studios Ramp Up Production Prior To SAG Strike

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:30:48 +0000

As it stands, Hollywood studios are deadlocked in their contract negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild. That news stirs up foul memories of a year ago, when the Writers Guild of America was at a similar juncture with the studios… Soon after that there were no TV shows for about half a year.

And we all know what that did last year’s TV season.

In anticipation of the worst (which has ironically become the norm in these days and times), studios are turning to the pre-strike protocols they devised after the 2007 WGA strike, pushing as many films as they can into production so that the 2010-2011 movie roster doesn’t end up barren.

Check out the studio by studio list of the films that are either currently in production, or are headed into production in light of the looming strike.

The list of movies being fast-tracked are as follows:

COLUMBIA

Ruben Fleischer-directed “Zombieland”
Phillip Noyce-helmed “Edwin A. Salt” with Angelina Jolie
Stephen Chow-directed “The Green Hornet” with Seth Rogen

DISNEY

Tim Burton-directed “Alice in Wonderland”;
“Tron” sequel;
Robert Zemeckis-produced motion-capture film “Mars Needs Moms”;
Jon Turteltaub-directed “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Nicolas Cage;
Walt Becker- helmed “Wild Hogs 2″

FOX

James Cameron-directed “Avatar”
Shawn Levy-helmed “Date Night,” with Steve Carell and Tina Fey
“A-Team”
“Ramona”
Chris Columbus-directed “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
John Carney-directed “Town House”
“Alvin and the Chipmunks 2″
Tom Bezucha-directed “Orbit”
Rick Famuyiwa-helmed “Family Wedding”

MGM

Drew Goddard-directed “The Cabin in the Woods”
Kevin Tancharoen-helmed “Fame”
“The Matarese Circle,” which David Cronenberg is negotiating to direct Washington
Darren Aronofsky-helmed “RoboCop”

MARVEL
(Paramount distributing)

Jon Favreau-directed “Iron Man 2″ with Robert Downey Jr.
Kenneth Branagh-helmed “Thor”

MIRAMAX

John Madden-directed “The Debt” with Helen Mirren
“Man on a Train”
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”

NEW LINE

“Torrente”
“Sex and the City 2″
Wesley Strick-directed “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Len Wiseman-helmed “Gears of War”

PARAMOUNT

Kenny Ortega-directed “Footloose” with Zac Efron;
M. Night Shyamalan-helmed “The Last Airbender”
“Morning Glory”
“Beverly Hills Cop”
“Us and Them”

UNIVERSAL

Edgar Wright-directed “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” starring Michael Cera
Untitled Nancy Meyers-helmed comedy with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin
Peter Billingsley-directed “Couples Retreat” with Vince Vaughn;
Gore Verbinski-helmed “BioShock”
Nicholas Stoller-directed “Get Him to the Greek”
Ridley Scott-helmed “Nottingham” with Russell Crowe

WARNER BROS.

Clint Eastwood-directed “Human Factor” with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon
Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor- helmed “Jonah Hex”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the David Yates-directed final, two-part installment in the franchise, which begins production in February;
Alcon-financed “Book of Eli,” the Hughes brothers-directed Denzel Washington starrer
Louis Leterrier-helmed “Clash of the Titans”
Zack Snyder-directed “Suckerpunch.”

Not to worry, Summer movie enthusiasts: just about all of your big budget sequels (Transformers 2, Night at the Museum 2, Angels & Demons) are safely in production. Doomsday epic 2012 is also going to make the cut. Any other new films that studios hope to get off the ground, however, are going to face major problems without actors to act in them. But we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. For now, negotiations continue.

Personally I’m glad Iron Man 2, Thor, Green Hornet and Avatar made the cut; I’m hoping that Bioshock and Gears of War will be worthy of their excellent video game sources–and I’m praying that Jonah Hex is going to turn out well. Hex was badass on that Batman: The Animated Series episode.

How about you? Any movies you’re glad are in the pipeline? Any films you wish they’d kept on the shelf?

(Thank Variety for putting the list together.)

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Clash Of The Titans Remake To Be Rated R?

Niall Browne — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:12:39 +0000

When I first joined Screen Rant the first article that I ever wrote was a story on Clash of the Titans, a remake of the 1981 Ray Harryhausen-produced Harry Hamlin-starrer. Back in those days Stephen Norrington (Blade) was the man behind the mega-phone, however things in Hollywood are always fluid – so he has dropped out only to be replaced by The Incredible Hulk’s Louis Leterrier.

Hold it, hold it – that’s not even the big news, no sirree. The big news is that the film has now been fast-tracked by Warner Bros.

The reason?

Lawrence Kasdan’s script kicks all sort of butt.

So what makes this script so fantastic that makes the studio smell the money?

Well, for starters – it’s an R-rated epic.

And yes, you read that right.

Remember, it was only recently that studios were afraid to make R-rated films – they thought that it cut off too many teens and their allowance dollars. However one only has to look at the box office gross of films like 300, Sex and the City, and this weekend’s Wanted to see that violent and sex-filled movies make money.

The script for Clash of the Titan’s is supposed to have shades of 300 – a far cry from the kiddie-friendly 1981 film that I love dearly. I’m not sure what to think about that. I’m old enough to handle it – but shouldn’t myths and legends supposed to inform and entertain children? Or am I just getting too old?

IESB have a script review that states the following:

“Clash of the Titans the Remake is grown up, sexy and violent, filled with political intrigue from the tops of Mount Olympus to the Throne Room of Joppa. The quest PERSEUS undergoes is populated with all manners of creatures like Sylphs, Lotophagi, Strix, Minotaurs, Centaurs, Nephilim, Giant Scorpions, Anubite Jackals, Hyena Men, and Pegassi, and never feels like sloppy seconds from a dusty textbook. I’m so pleased to report the well written script sent me scuttling to the dictionary several times with vocabulary-above-a-ninth grade-level, like scutes, limn and (I love saying this word) feculence.”

It sounds like it’s a pretty well-stocked film, and that you will get enough special effects and creatures to warrant the ticket price alone!

At the very least this should be a curiosity of a film that will get my hard earned cash. At it’s highest it could be the greatest fantasy epic ever made, and considering that Kasdan’s had a go at the script – I wouldn’t bet against it.

If there’s more news you can be sure to find it here as this develops.

Sources: Latino Review and IESB

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Clash Of The Titans Has A Director

Niall Browne — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:49:38 +0000

My first ever post for Screen Rant was about the Clash of The Titans remake. Now I can follow up on that to tell you that the film has a director: Stephen Norrington.

Who is Norrington? He’s the man behind such genre fare as Blade and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Variety reports that Norrington has signed up to direct the special effects laden film. This makes sense as he has a background in visual effects (it’s how he got started in the business), but does he have the talent to measure up to Ray Harryhausen?

Don’t get too depressed by this news… the script is supposed to be an absolute corker [that means good: Niall is British - Vic] as the original draft by Travis Beacham was rewritten by Lawrence Kasdan. Yes you read the right, Lawrence Kasdan: the guy behind The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of The Lost Ark.

I’m not to sure how I feel about this. It seems like an OK fit, but Norrington did go over the top on CGI when making The League.

What’s your opinion?

Source: Variety

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