Screen Rant » kick ass

Poster Friday: Avatar, Kick-Ass, Lost, Salt & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:59:09 +0000

Happy Friday everyone!

We missed last week due to the launch of our sister site, GameRant.com and the fact that there was quite a few less one-sheets than normal so instead, I’ve combined them all from the last two weeks into this edition of Poster Friday.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for Avatar, Precious, Crazy on the Outside, Daybreakers, Lost, Salt, Alice in Wonderland, Crazy Heart, Kick-Ass, The Yellow Handkerchief, Caprica, All About Evil, The Wolfman, Ong Bak 3, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, From Paris with Love and Wonderful World.

In addition to that we have some neat stylistic posters for some popular television shows.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here are a pair of French posters for Avatar, both of these we had lesser quality early looks at before, but now we have the full versions.

http://screenrant.com/wp-admin/media-new.php

Source: Latino Review, /Film

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Matthew Vaughn: Kick-Ass is “Love Letter to Spider-Man”

Rob Frappier — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:25:34 +0000

Who loves hearing a director talk about their work? I know I do. That’s why it was such a pleasure to find this video of Matthew Vaughn offering a sort of pesudo-commentary track to the first trailer for his upcoming adaptation of the comic book Kick-Ass.

The trailer, which comes our way courtesy of /Film, was originally put together by French Premiere. While not a commentary in the traditional sense (Premiere placed excerpts of their interview with Vaughn over the trailer), it still provides some interesting insight into one of the most anticipated movies of 2010.

Ever since Kick-Ass had its coming out party at Comic Con, all of us here at Screen Rant have been of the opinion that the movie will, well, kick ass. Now that the film’s first trailer has finally hit the web, it seems like enthusiasm for the movie has been taken to a whole new level. It’s almost hard to believe that Matthew Vaughn financed the production of the movie on his own after no production companies stepped to the plate to back it.

Check out the director himself talking about the movie:

In retrospect, I’m glad Vaughn accepted the smart risk and made this movie his way, because you can clearly see his passion for the material. When you listen to him talk about the film and say things like his film is a “love letter to Spider-Man” and that it is “about people who love comic books and superheroes,” you can really sense that he understands his audience.

While comic book movies can work as complex morality tales (The Dark Knight proved that), they don’t all have to aspire to Academy Awards. Going into Kick-Ass, I know I’m going to get a movie that’s going to make me laugh, make me cringe, and, overall, make me glad I shelled out 10 bucks. And honestly, sometimes that’s all I want.

What do you think? If you’re still not on the Kick-Ass bandwagon, tell us why in the comments.

Kick-Ass will be in theaters on April 16, 2010

Source: French Premiere via Slash Film

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Kick-Ass Trailer Comes Early!

Rob Keyes — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:34:58 +0000

The first widely released official trailer for Kick-Ass wasn’t meant to hit the interwebs until this Friday, at least according to the official site, but it’s out now and we have it here for you!

Kick-Ass is the precedent setting comic book movie by Matthew Vaughn who took it upon himself to make the movie his own way, the proper way, without the restrictions of Hollywood studios. Instead he made it true to the comics, earned the support of the fans with a huge presentation at Comic-Con and had distributors start a bidding war for it after the fact.

As we know, Lionsgate happily landed the film and set its release for next spring keeping the film intact and paying tribute to Vaughn’s work.

The footage shown at Comic-Con had fans excited and now you can share in that too with this little taste of what’s to come – watch and enjoy!

It looks like a lot of fun and trust me, from the Comic-Con footage we saw in San Diego, this is but a hint of the entertainment to be had.

Kick-Ass is based the comic-series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr. and the film adaptation (written by Jane Goldman) stays true to the story about a young student named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who makes the decision to become a “real-life superhero.”

After making his costume and naming himself “Kick-Ass” and sets out to fight crime while not actually having any superpowers himself. This leads to more heroes and villains as the harsh realization of what being a superhero is all about sets in, surrounded in a nice comedic tone.

Alongside Aaron Johnson, the film stars Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, Xander Berkeley and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

What do you think of the trailer?

If you missed it, check out the sweet set of Kick-Ass posters that debuted last week as part of our Poster Friday feature.

Kick-Ass opens April 16, 201o.

Source: Official Kick-Ass site

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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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Mark Millar: Comic Creator, Screenwriter, Movie Director?

Rob Frappier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:30:02 +0000

Scottish comic book writer Mark Millar has been getting awfully cozy in Hollywood over the past couple of years. In addition to seeing the film version of his graphic novel Wanted bank for more than $340 million worldwide, Millar has been able to work closely with director Matthew Vaughn on the film adaptation of his comic series, Kick-Ass, which comes out in April 2010. Now, according to the man himself, Millar is planning on getting behind the camera for his very own directorial debut. According to Millar’s personal website, principal photography on the project begins in March 2010.

Ah, but you must be saying to yourself, “Rob! You didn’t tell else what movie Millar is directing. Are you some kind of incompetent fool?” Friends, if I knew I would tell you, I promise. Unfortunately, Millar is keeping his lips sealed until February when more release details will be coming out.

From Millar’s website:

What is it? Who is it about? Well, that’s all a secret for now, but I learned a lot from Kick-Ass and love having the same creative freedom I have with comics when I work in cinema. I never want to be a studio bitch and go in there pitching for them to love me. The closest I came to this was a couple of calls regarding Superman, but pretty much none of my plans ever revealed as I didn’t like the idea of anyone nicking them.

Similarly, I don’t like the idea of asking for funding and justifying scenes with the money-men so I’m doing what Matthew Vaughn did with Kick-Ass and just making it outside the system with private investors. The financing is all secured and the movie stands or falls on how good I can make it, doing what Matthew did and just selling it once completed.

As you can imagine, I couldn’t be more excited. More as it happens, but this might just beat out War Heroes and American Jesus as my follow-ups to the Wanted and Kick-Ass movies. Have two other pictures about to go into development (and Wanted and Kick-Ass 2, of course), but I think you need to scare the Hell out of yourself every once in a while and something totally new like directing should do the trick.

Let me put this out there: I’m a Mark Millar fan. I know that some people aren’t into his style, but I think his early work in the Ultimate Marvel universe and Wanted more than demonstrate his ability to tell crisp and exciting stories. The thing is, directing a movie is an entirely different animal than writing a comic. We’ve seen other famous names in comics make the leap to directing without success, most notably Frank Miller, so Millar’s move certainly isn’t unprecedented. Will Millar’s experience working so closely with Matthew Vaughn on Kick-Ass help him bring his own project to fruition?

What do you think? Are you excited to hear Mark Millar will be making his directorial debut, or do you think he should stick to what he knows?

Source: MillarWorld.tv

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‘Kick-Ass’ Will End with Teaser for Sequel

Rob Frappier — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:08:01 +0000

Although Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass doesn’t premier for another seven months, Mark Millar (co-creator of the comic) already has high expectations, telling MTV that a sequel is already in the works. According to Millar:

“There’s a basic plot. The series ends on a teaser for the next one, and the movie ends on that teaser, too…We don’t want to sound too cocky, but we know this is good. It didn’t cost that much money to make. There will definitely be another one.”

Millar and Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn have been hinting at a sequel for months now. In fact, we first reported the possibility of a sequel before Kick-Ass premiered any footage at Comic-Con or even had a distributor. Can you say confidence? I wonder if this is the “different ending” artist John Romita, Jr. talked about a few months back?

Expectations for Kick-Ass are very high, especially among the comic’s core audience. If the film’s reception at Comic-Con is any indication, however, fanboys should be more than satisfied. The real question is whether or not Kick-Ass can find success outside of the film’s built-in fanbase.

As Watchmen demonstrated, the public’s thirst for unconventional R-rated comic book films is tepid at best. On the other hand, Watchmen had a much higher budget than Kick-Ass and was attempting to tell a story that was much larger in scope. Assuming critics don’t kill it first, I have a feeling that Kick-Ass will more than make its budget back.

What do you think? Is talk of a sequel a bit premature, or are you already ready for Kick-Ass 2, 3, 4, and more?

Kick-Ass hits theaters on April 16th, 2010.

Source: MTV

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John Romita, Jr. Talks ‘Kick-Ass’ Animation

Rob Frappier — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:48:23 +0000

Few upcoming comic book movies are as widely anticipated as Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass. After fans got their first look at the film at Comic-Con, it only took a few weeks before Lionsgate picked it up for distribution, and now we know that it will be released April 16, 2010. A pretty quick turnaround for a self-financed movie about wannabe teenage superheroes and foul-mouthed prepubescent assassins, don’t you think?

The phenomenal buzz surrounding Kick-Ass comes in no small part from the creative talents of the comic’s creators, Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. As such, it’s no surprise that director Matthew Vaughn decided to work closely with both Millar and Romita throughout the production. In fact, Romita even produced his own animated sequence for the film. Now, thanks to MTV, we know exactly what it will be about.

In an exclusive interview, Romita explained that the animated sequence would show the origin of Nicolas Cage’s character, Big Daddy. (FYI – Romita’s quotes might be considered minor spoilers)

“The animated sequence is about a minute, minute and a half…There’s a comic book that Nicolas Cage’s character has drawn as a shrine to his victims…It’s basically an origin of him. [Big Daddy's] partner will come in when Nicolas Cage is carted off to prison. He comes in, opens the book up and it morphs into Nicolas Cage’s origin.”

According to MTV, the scene should be nearly identical to a similar sequence in the comic (if you’re a big fan of the comic, I’d love to hear more about this scene in the comments).

I have a feeling that, with its unique mix of humor and violence, Kick-Ass will be one of the surprise hits of 2010, even with its “R” rating. What do you think? Are you excited to see Romita, Jr.’s artwork on the big screen?

Kick-Ass will hit theaters on April 16th, 2010.

Source: MTV

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Lionsgate: The Expendables & Kick-Ass Get Release Dates

Rob Keyes — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:01:11 +0000

Two big action movies that many people are looking for next year have finally been given official release dates!

Sylvester Stallone’s ultimate team-up film, The Expendables, was aiming for a spring release next year and now it’s confirmed for August. For Kick-Ass, the film that put on a big show at San Diego Comic-Con and only recently got picked up for North American distribution after a bidding war thanks in no small part to the positive reaction to the footage is now officially opening next spring.

This news comes to us thanks to a “Twitter exclusive” where we’re also reminded that Gamer, another action thriller, starring Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall, opens this weekend.

So, without further ado, here are the dates according to Lionsgate Studios:

The Expendables, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, opens August 20, 2010
Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn, opens April 16, 2010

I’m excited for both of these films and I’m sure they’ll be in many moviegoers’ most anticipated lists of 2010.

Hopefully, some of the footage or at least a trailer is released soon for Kick-Ass as well as a teaser for The Expendables. Keep checking Screen Rant for more on both of these movies.

Follow Lionsgate on Twitter @lionsgatemovies and follow members of the Screen Rant crew by heading over to the About Us page for our accounts.

Will you be looking for these two flicks next spring and summer?

Source: Lionsgate

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Matthew Vaughn Wants to Direct The Avengers

Rob Keyes — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:35:51 +0000

Matthew Vaughn, director and producer of the upcoming rated-R comic book adaptation, Kick-Ass, really wants to helm Marvel Studio’s The Avengers movie.

Vaughn, if you remember, was director of X-Men: The Last Stand… for a short while anyway. After he took over for Bryan Singer, he quickly left which opened to door for Brett Ratner to direct the project which in my mind, is the absolute worst of the four X-Men movies.

Looking forward instead of back though, Vaughn now has directed three feature films: Layer Cake, Stardust and now Kick-Ass (which quickly earned itself an American distributor after premiering footage at San Diego Comic-Con.) Now, he wants to do another superhero flick…

In speaking with MTV, he revealed the following desires of his:

“[I'd] love to do ‘The Avengers,’ and Superman… I think it would be great to reinvent Superman.”

Vaughn was attached to direct the Thor solo movie before his contract expired and Branagh was hired to helm the project. The script he and partner Mark Protosevich had written was apparently loved by Marvel Studios but it demanded an insanely high budget that he needed to cut in half (apparently from $300 Million to $150 million).

As for Superman, the current rumor out there is that James McTeigue may direct with the Wachowski Bros. supporting as producers.

On that note, Vaughn also spoke about another Marvel project that he wanted to direct a few years back.

“I was desperate to do ‘Iron Man’ about 8 years ago, and everyone was like, ‘Iron Man, no one will go watch that,’… Cut to now, and it’s a huge hit.”

“I grew up watching superhero films, so I want to make superhero films,”

I admire his passion for the genre and I’m willing to give him control over one of the major Marvel feature films in development. At least that would give him his chance to finally direct the Thor character and hit on his dream of directing Iron Man.

Would you light Vaughn to direct the Superman reboot or The Avengers?

The Avengers is currently scheduled to open May 4, 2012.

Source: MTV

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Lionsgate Will ‘Kick-Ass’ in 2010

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:44:43 +0000

Well THAT didn’t take long.

Not even a week after we told you that several johnny-come-lately studios were fighting over the rights to Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn’s (Layer Cake) live-action adaptation of the Marvel Comic created by Mark Millar (Wanted) and John Romita Jr., one studio has emerged from the dog pile with this promising film in pocket.

And that winner is: Lionsgate.

If you don’t know, Kick-Ass tells the “real-world” story of a comic book fanboy named Dave Lizewski (played by Aaron Johnson) who one day up and decides he is going to become a “real-life superhero.” Coming up with a name (”Kick-Ass”, naturally) and a costume prove to be easy enough – but going around taking on dangerous criminals when you don’t have any superpowers to back you up? Not so easy… And when the exploits of Kick-Ass begin to get noticed, and strings of copycat heroes and murderous criminals bent on revenge start popping up left and right, Lizewski finds out first-hand how comic book superheroes get all those nasty bruises and scars – all while hilarity ensues, of course.

Kick-Ass did just that at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. People (including Screen Rant’s own Vic Holtreman) were only mildly interested going into the Kick-Ass panel, only to come away wide-eyed and excited for this uniquely fun and stylish film. Just one problem: it didn’t have a studio to release it.

Let’s face it: a violent black-comedy about young wannabe-superheroes is a hard sell to begin with, and fans of Millar and Romita Jr.’s comic book know just how offbeat and offensive (in all the good ways) Kick-Ass really is, so no surprise that financing a film version was not exactly a priority for any studio. The fact that it features an 11-year-old girl slaughtering criminals and dropping the “C” word probably didn’t help in the pitch meetings, either (though it played great for audiences!).

So, having faith in the project, Vaughn financed it through his Marv Films production company, with help from Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment production group. And that gamble looks like it’s going to pay off well, indeed.

Lionsgate will handle the U.S./Canadian distribution of Kick-Ass. I’m sure we’ll learn which studio will be handling the overseas distribution soon enough. Producers on the film are Vaughn, Brad Pitt, Tarquin Pack and Kris Thykier, with Millar and Romita Jr. acting as co-producers.

Said Jason Constantine, Lionsgate President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions about the Kick-Ass deal:

“Matthew Vaughn is an amazing talent and a true original, and he has brought a whole new mindset to the action genre with ‘Kick-Ass.’ ‘Kick-Ass’ redefines the boundaries in terms of humor, action, story, character and tone — it’s the kind of movie that reminds us of why we go to the movies in the first place. Lionsgate is thrilled to bring ‘Kick-Ass’ home to give it the next-generation launching pad it deserves.”

For more quotes from Vaughn himself and/or the suits now backing the film, head over to SuperHero Hype.

One good thing about this deal: I know that Lionsgate will most likely leave Kick-Ass intact as the raunchy and violent spectacle Vaughn intended, and we, the fans, have come to love. There was a lot of worried talk behind these blogging scenes that if the film landed at Paramount or Universal, the big studios would turn chicken and try to “clean up” the film for wider distribution, likely at the expense of its greatness. No such worry with Lionsgate (probably why Vaughn and Co. ultimately went that way, I figure).

Now that Kick-Ass has a home, all that’s left is the wait: Lionsgate will reported try to have the film (which is currently in post-production) out in wide release sometime in 2010. We’ll keep you posted.

Source: SuperHero Hype

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Studios Duke it Out for Rights to ‘Kick-Ass’

Rob Frappier — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:51:15 +0000

When Matthew Vaughn premiered the first footage of Kick-Ass at Comic-Con a few weeks back, he must have been smiling ear to ear. Originally told that the film was too violent for distribution, Vaughn decided to produce the movie himself, leaving in all the gore and graphic language of the original comic series. Vaughn’s decision to leave in the good stuff was more than validated by throngs of Comic-Con attendees and now Kick-Ass has become the hot commodity in Hollywood as studios jockey to buy distribution rights for the film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate, Paramount, and Universal are currently the top contenders to land the film. THR speculates that the final distribution deal will be “in the solid seven figures with a significant P&A commitment.” For the non-movie folks out there, P&A refers to Prints and Advertising. In other words, Kick-Ass will be getting the major release the film deserves.

So, why was Kick-Ass ignored in the first place? As THR points out, Vaughn’s decision to self-finance his film is indicative of a larger trend in Hollywood. While the economy continues to languish, studios are becoming increasingly selective about what films they greenlight for production. Above all else, Hollywood is about making money and if they don’t think they can find a market for a film, most studios will pass.

That’s part of the reason why we’re seeing so many umm … interesting films based on toy franchises, board games, and children’s books. It’s easier for studios to trade in on a pre-established brand name then take a chance on something new, particularly when that something new involves pre-pubescent girls slicing people apart with a samurai sword.

As soon as we find out who wins the distribution rights for Kick-Ass, we’ll let you know here. In the meantime, share your thoughts about the film in the comments. Are you fully on board the Kick-Ass bandwagon?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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The Hottest Things To Come Out Of Comic-Con

Vic Holtreman — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:46:07 +0000

Comic-Con seems like old news (even though it only ended a week ago), but as a final note we thought we’d show you what you guys ended up picking as the hottest things to come out of the 4 day event. There was certainly a lot of competition for fan attention, but as usual there are always a few things that end up grabbing the limelight.

We ran a poll asking you to pick what you thought were the three hottest things to come out of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Now the total numbers add up to more than 100% because with so much to choose from we allowed people to pick their top 3 items.

Results after the jump.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Once again (as happened two years ago) the winner by far is Iron Man, with 60% of voters selecting that as one of their top 3 events at the Con. Avatar came in second with a very respectable 38%, especially considering how little info there has been about the film up until footage was shown in San Diego.

From there we have the upcoming Sci-Fi film District 9 and the Johnny Depp-starring Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland pretty much tied for 3rd. Tron 2 (now known as Tron Legacy) was very close to those films with 18%.

I guess we don’t have as many Twilight fans here on the site as I thought, since New Moon only garnered a 15% rating.

One thing that caught me off guard at first, but in hindsight makes sense, is the fact that Kick-Ass scored near the bottom of the pack. Based on the reaction to the footage from those present, I would put that in the top 3 for sure, perhaps even above Avatar. As of Comic-Con Kick-Ass did not yet have a distribution deal, but based on the reaction there I would think this should not remain the case for long. I think if they really wanted to get the word out on the film they should release at least some of the footage online. Of course it would have to be age-restricted as it was definitely R-rated footage, but I think people would eat it up big time.

I’d have to say the same about Where the Wild Things Are: The audience was wildly enthusiastic about what they saw, but at least here on Screen Rant, that hasn’t translated to much excitement. Then again our readers do skew more towards the superhero/sci-fi side of things – however that doesn’t explain why the Tim Burton-produced 9 came out at the bottom of our pile… Other than there just so many heavy hitters it was up against in the voting.

Anyway, there you have it – as a group, that’s what you folks are most interested in seeing in the upcoming months!

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Missed Something? Our 2009 San Diego Comic-Con Wrap-Up

Vic Holtreman — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:13:34 +0000

I started this on the flight home after the insanity that is the San Diego Comic-Con (Wi-Fi in the air rocks), and I thought it would be a good idea to give you a “one-stop shopping” post for everything we covered this year.

For 2009 we had Rob Keyes and Kofi Outlaw (along with guest contributor Ryan Connors) in addition to Bruce Simmons and myself, so we were able to bring you a LOT more coverage than we did last year. Everyone worked their tail off and did an awesome job – and we had Ross Miller going into overdrive at home covering ongoing non-Comic-Con related news (Ross is a news writing ANIMAL).

I was fortunate enough to be chosen to speak at this year’s Masters of the Web panel, and we attended the Wrath of Con party (where Rob had WAAAAY too much fun, getting his picture taken with every celebrity in site). I finally met the legendary Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News and chatted with a bunch of other movie site pals. It was a HUGE bash.

We also attended the MGM/Stargate Universe bash where I had a great time chatting with a couple of fellows from JoBlo.com and got a chance to meet Kerry O’Quinn, founder of Starlog Magazine – which was one of the things that triggered my love for Sci-Fi films.

On to coverage…

I finally counted it all up and we brought you over 40 Comic-Con stories over the 4 days of the event (we rock!).

I’d say the big winner at Comic-Con this year was once again: Iron Man. Director Jon Favreau and especially Robert Downey Jr. played to the crowd big time and brought some rockin’ footage from the film, including a shot of, yes, WAR MACHINE. Check out our blow by blow from the Iron Man 2 panel (and check out the first look at the new Iron Man armor from the film).

Next up is a battle for second place between Avatar and Kick-Ass (which as I’m writing this STILL doesn’t have a distributor – I’m sure it’ll have one very, very soon). I didn’t see the Avatar footage, but from the buzz I’m hearing Kick-Ass gets wins the second place spot. I watched the footage and it was crazy-awesome, with a standing ovation at the end of the panel.

For our reports on both, check out Kick-Ass Panel: 2009 Comic-Con and James Cameron’s Avatar is Epic.

As for the rest, first we have move-related news:

Find out what’s happening with the sequel in our Wanted 2 Update.

This one will be either good or bad news depending on your perspective: Rob Zombie Says ‘Never’ to Halloween 3.

Disney distributes an anime film in Ponyo Trailer is a Throwback to Good 80’s Animation.

Check out the latest on the upcoming Tron sequel: Tron 2 Trailer, Name Change, Concept Art At Comic-Con.

Check out the word on this movie that’s still looking for U.S. distribution: Solomon Kane is Surprisingly Very Awesome.

It looks like the latest version of the classic story may be creepier than we’ve seen before:Is Zemeckis’ Christmas Carol A Horror Film?. We also talk about the 3D movies coming from Disney in Disney 3D Showcases A Christmas Carol.

We’ve been pretty hard on Roland Emmerich’s next disaster flick 2012 based on his last two movies, but when we saw the footage from the upcoming film we had to call this one Destructively Fun Times With 2012.

After rubber suits and a CGI version, it looks like we may finally get the TMNT movie that fans of the original comic book have been wating for: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movie Will Be Dark.

Like zombies? Like comedies? Then it looks like we may have the movie for you in Zombieland Pleases The Hordes.

Speaking of comedies, Mike Judge, the man who brought us the cult classic Office Space is back with Extract.

Ranking high on our “Hottest thing to come out of Comic-Con” is the upcoming Sci-Fi movie: District 9 Has Big Presence At Comic-Con.

One movie that I thought would be getting more buzz than it has is one being produced by Tim Burton: Panel for Shane Acker’s 9 (With Wanted 2 Update).

Here’s one that might sneak up on people – the footage looked pretty cool and the audience responded well to ‘Legion’ Brings Angels With Machine Guns.

Looking for a real vampire movie? How about Thirst: The Anti-Twilight?

On the other hand, Summit’s New Moon Panel is Topless & Awkward.

This video game based movie idea has been kicking around for a while: More Details on the ‘Castlevania’ Movie.

Warner Bros.had some great things to show us including Where the Wild Things Are, Jonah Hex, The Book of Eli and a first look at Jackie Earle Haley in the new Nightmare on Elm Street: Warner Bros. Panel – Comic-Con 2009. Related to that is news on Where The Wild Things Are IMAX Release.

Either you’re fan of Terry Gilliam films or you’re not, but the appeal to his latest film may be the fact that it’s Heath Ledger’s final film: Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

Another film high on the anticipation list: Tim Burton Unveils Alice in Wonderland Footage & Surprise Guest!

Geoff Johns Tries NOT to Discuss The Flash & Green Lantern Movies, but we still manage to pry a few details loose.

The lovely Kristen Bell was in attendance at the Astro Boy Panel.

And now on to some TV/DVD related items…

And speaking of new versions of old classics, check out the scoop on a new version of 1950s Sci-Fi classics at the Alien Trespass Panel.

Smallville fan? We learned some BIG news here: Smallville Comic-Con 2009 Panel.

Our writer Rob Keyes must have had a reason to name this one: Heroes Panel (Spock vs. Spock & Claire Kissing Girls).

As usual, the producers of Lost entertain the crowd but reveal very little in the Lost Final Season Panel.

Dollhouse made it its second season by the skin of its teeth, get the latest here: Dollhouse Comic-Con 2009 Panel.

Find out what horrible things are in store for Jack Bauer next season at the Comic-Con 24 Panel.

As far as TV series go, the True Blood Comic-Con Panel was a pretty hot topic.

Get the background info on Caprica / BSG: The Plan.

Stargate isn’t dead, find out what to expect with Stargate Universe.

Fan favorite Bruce Campbell rocks the Burn Notice Panel.

Will the upcoming Sci-Fi TV show Flash Forward be any good – we’ve seen a preview.

We have a review of the animated Green Lantern: First Flight.

Never heard of Glee? Me neither until this week, but it’s sounding pretty good: Glee Season Premiere Hits a High Note at Comic-Con.

And finally we have an interview with the legendary Stan Lee.

If we can get the whole image mass upload thing figured out, look for maybe one or two picture posts in the next few days.

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Kick-Ass Panel: 2009 Comic-Con

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:08:34 +0000

On the Kick-Ass panel: Director Matthew Vaughn, screenwriters Jane Goldman and Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz.

Vaughn joked about being hosed on getting a distribution deal for Kick-Ass if we didn’t like it. Showed clips from the first act and it was VERY funny, like crazy insane funny – which I didn’t expect at all (I’m not familiar with the original comic). Every single clip they showed made the film look more insane than the previous. It included a combination of teenage/R-rated humor with Nic Cage as an odd (to say the least) dad teaching his young daughter what it’s like to get shot, to a scene with Kick-Ass getting his butt saved by the most unlikely of heroines – ever.

The tone of the film looks like it will be all over the place, ranging from real world to wacky to amazing action to stuff that is just SO wrong, but awesome. The only thing that bothered me and felt out of place was a scene at the very end of the footage where the young girl says a very vulgar word. You may argue that hey, she’s doing all kinds of other seriously heinous stuff, so what’s the big deal? But it felt forced and like it was put in just “because.” Other than that though, I loved it as an R-rated film.

Mark Millar talked about how everyone in the room had thought about being a superhero at some point but just didn’t have the balls to really do it.

Vaughn said the script was finished before the comic and it was a collaborative effort.

Hopefully based on the wildly positive reaction, Kick-Ass getting a distribution deal will be a no-brainer.

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‘Kick-Ass’ Footage To Premiere at Comic-Con

Rob Frappier — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:17:59 +0000

In our previous coverage of the teen superhero film, Kick-Ass, we reported that director Matthew Vaughn would premiere the first footage of the film at Comic-Con. Now, thanks to an interview with the MTV Movies Blog, we know exactly what we’ll be seeing, and it sure sounds good to me.

Rather than putting together a rough trailer for the move, Vaughn has opted to show four whole scenes from the movie’s first act to help newcomers to the comic get a better feel for the story and the characters.

“They’re all good scenes. Not the best scenes in the movie, but they set up what the film is about…I’ve got seven scenes at the moment, and I have to get it down to four. I’m literally sitting here and editing right now. It’s coming straight from the Avid [video editor], so it’s not going to be some highly polished thing like everybody else’s.”

It’s nice to see that Vaughn is putting real thought into what he shows at Comic-Con. Because Kick-Ass isn’t necessarily the most well known comic franchise, Vaughn’s approach should help expose the film to a wider fanbase and bring in some extra box office bank come premiere time. Of course, just because Kick-Ass isn’t as widely known doesn’t mean Vaughn is ignoring the comic’s most loyal fans.

“We are a genuine comic book adaptation with comic book authors involved in the production of the movie…It’s really important to me that fans of the comic like the film. I’ll be more upset if fans of the comic hate the movie than anybody else.”

Besides premiering four scenes, Vaughn has another treat in store for Kick-Ass fans. Recently, AICN shared an exclusive Comic-Con poster for the film which will be given out to fans at an autograph session before the panel. Featuring the art of Kick-Ass artist John Romita, Jr., the poster shows the comic’s main characters in full costumed glory. Check it out below.

So what do you think? Are you getting more excited for this movie?

Source: AICN, MTV

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‘Kick-Ass’ Director Talks Pretty Violence and Pigtailed Hit Girls

Ross Miller — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:34:54 +0000

Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) recently spoke to Ain’t It Cool News about his upcoming adaptation of the ultra-violent teen superhero comic book, Kick-Ass. The first ever footage of the movie will be shown during Comic-Con this year, but Vaughn has let out some details about the movie a few weeks in advance.

In the interview with AICN, Vaughn spoke about various aspects of the movie including the look/style, the cast and even a possible sequel (with this type of movie that kind of talk is inevitable). Take a look at some of what Vaughn said about Kick-Ass:

Here’s what Vaughn had to say about his first attempts to shop Kick-Ass around at various studios, and the numerous turn-downs he got:

“The film breaks a lot of taboos, and has certain elements that, if you’re a studio executive, might make you think, “Why in the hell would we make a film like this?” One thing I don’t think anyone got from the script was how humorous and fun it is…. They were like, “Is it a gangster film, is it a comedy? What is this? We don’t get it! We’re not making it!” So we thought “Fair enough. Screw you guys, we’re going to go off and make it.”

Regarding his opinion of how Kick-Ass turned out (at least the rough cut anyway), Vaughn doesn’t want to be too full of himself, but he thinks it’s the best movie he’s ever made (Layer Cake was pretty damn good, so…):

“I don’t want to sound too arrogant about the thing because there’s nothing worse than someone saying, “I made the best damn movie of all time!”, then you watch it, and you go, “Yeah…” I can say this… not that it means much… but it’s definitely the best movie I’ve ever made. That doesn’t mean it’s a great film. But, for me, I think I punched above my weight.”

Vaughn goes on to tout Kick-Ass as a movie that’s unlike anything he (or many other people) have done, as well as speculating what he thinks other people’s opinion of the movie will be:

“KICK-ASS is like nothing else that I’ve ever done – or a lot of other people have… And I think KICK-ASS is a movie that I can guarantee you will either 100% think is a pile of dog sh**, or you’re going to love it. There will be no in-between reaction to the film. It’s going to be one or the other.”

Fans that like their comic book movies a bit more on the realistic side of things can rest assured Kick-Ass will very much be in that vein:

“There’s nothing in this film that couldn’t happen. Some of the actions sequences are… you know, we’re making a movie, so I pushed the boundaries as far as I could. There are a few moments you’d maybe pull off one in a million times if you were doing it for real. But I tried to ground this as much in reality without it being a documentary.”

On his lead actor, Aaron Johnson, Vaughn seems pretty enthusiastic about him and his performance in Kick Ass:

“Aaron Johnson… mark my words, is going to be a huge movie star… He has that charisma where you believe every word he says. He can also stand in front of the camera and say nothing, but you still want to watch him. He’s fun. The actor I think he’ll become is Robert Downey, Jr. He’s very similar to him.”

Vaughn also talked about one of the lead actresses, Chloe Moretz (who plays Mindy/Hit Girl), who he was even more enthused about than Johnson:

“Okay. When you watch it… I will bet you any amount of money you want… anything at any odds… I’ll give you a million-to-one odds if you want… that you will a) fall in love with her, b) buy her, and c) think, “My god, I just saw the Jodie Foster/Natalie Portman of this generation… I really mean that. If this movie was STAR WARS, she’d be Han Solo.”

Chloe Moretz is Mindy/Hit Girl

Vaughn gives a really cool detail about the style of the film being glossy like a big-budget superhero movie, only with all of this gritty stuff happening to contrast the polished look:

“For me, I thought that if I shot it grittily, you’d then expect gritty shit to happen. So I thought let’s do the opposite; let’s make it glossy, so you could easily see these characters in SPIDER-MAN. but it’s like “What would happen if Spider-Man were in the real world?”

Finally, Vaughn teased with the possibility with a Kick Ass sequel even before the first film has a release date:

“I don’t want to tempt fate. But Mark (Millar) and I over a couple of beers came up with one of the funniest, coolest idea for a sequel that we would only be able to get away with if the film does well. We’d sort of dial it up to eleven, shall we say.”

For the full transcript of the interview, you can head over to AICN.

It really sounds like Vaughn has put his all into Kick-Ass, keeping the source material firmly in mind. I am liking the sound of it – particularly of what he says about giving the movie a glossy Spider-Man feel while having all of the really gritty, really violent stuff happen on-screen. I’d love to get a look of some of those moviegoer’s faces that aren’t expecting such explicitness!

Kick-Ass is likely to be much more violent than people are expecting.

When Kick-Ass eventually does get a release, it’ll be interesting to see how it does at the box office. Much in the same way as Watchmen, this isn’t a well known property outside the “comic book geek” world, and like Watchmen it’s very violent. By now we know how (not) great Watchmen did at the box office; however Wanted (another little-known comic book adapted into a violent movie) was a surprise hit at the box office, so who knows?

Vaughn mentioned a possible release of the first quarter of 2010 for Kick-Ass, but nothing official has been set for it as of yet.

Sources: AICN via /Film

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‘Kick-Ass’ Movie to Have Different Ending Than Comic

Rob Frappier — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:17 +0000

[UPDATE: We now have a pic of McLovin' in Kick-Ass! See bottom of the post.]

For months, fans of the hyper violent teen superhero comic Kick-Ass have wondered how director Matthew Vaughn will choose to end his film adaptation while the comic itself is still being published. Now, we may have an answer thanks to Comic Book Resources, which recently interviewed Kick-Ass artist and comic book titan, John Romita, Jr.

In the interview, which focused primarily on his work on the milestone 600th issue of Amazing Spider-Man, Romita said he was “within a couple pages of finishing issue #7, and [has] already done thumbnails on issue #8.” As for finishing the movie before the comic and any potential rifts that might create, Romita had this to say:

“They know what they’re doing, but I’m sticking to Mark’s scripts…We don’t want to be so far disparate from the film, and we had a little bit of storytelling we wanted to at least parallel the film even though it was Mark’s idea from the get go to give it some similarities while not looking like we’re hocking each other. As long as it looks like the same subject matter, the endings will have differences.”

Romita also revealed that he will create a number of animated sequences for the film, which will serve primarily as flashbacks.

““Matthew Vaughn is a fan of the comic, and that’s where the flashback animation sequence comes from. He wanted an homage to the comic. He was a fan of my pacing and storytelling and used as much as he could along those lines.”

The way I see it, even if Kick-Ass the comic and Kick-Ass the movie don’t turn out to be exactly the same story, it won’t diminish my enjoyment of either. Of course, I’m not the most hardcore Kick-Ass fanboy out there, so perhaps I’m understating this news. Will you be disappointed if the film version of Kick-Ass ends up having a different ending than the comic? Also, are you excited to see that John Romita, Jr’s art will end up in the final film?

UPDATE: Christopher Mintz-Plasse (a.k.a. “McLovin”) in costume

click photo for MTV's larger version

Kick-Ass does not currently have a release date. However, the film will have a strong presence at Comic-Con, where co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse (who plays an amateur vigilante inspired by the titular amateur vigilante), director Matthew Vaughn, and John Romita, Jr. will premier the first footage of the film. Expect an announcement regarding a release date at that time.

Source: Comic Book Resources via MTV

Update Source: MTV News

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Kick-Ass Movie (Book) Has A Release Date

Ross Miller — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:40:53 +0000

The last time we reported on Matthew Vaughn’s (Layer Cake, Stardust) forthcoming superhero movie entitled Kick-Ass was last year when one of the stars, Nicolas Cage, was commenting on his role within the movie. Since then, the movie has been shot and is currently listed as being in post-production.

The movie has been financed by Vaughn’s production company MARV Films, with no big studio ties nor any sort sort of release/distribution info attached as of yet.

Based on the ongoing Mark Millar comic of the same name, Kick-Ass follows a young, normal New York City high school student who one day decides to go from a simple fan of comic books to becoming a real life superhero himself, despite not having any superpowers or training. Along the way he meets with dangerous situations, notoriety as an “everyday superhero,” and other superhero wannabes just like him. For those of you thinking by the sound of the basic story outline that it’s a “light” tale, think again: It has lots of strong language and brutal violence, with a comparison made by Millar himself as, “Spider-Man meets Eli Roth.”

Even though there are no release dates in sight for the actual Kick-Ass movie, there has been one set for the companion book (the latest is that the book’s release date has been pushed back to some time in 2010), which is oh-so-shrewdly called Kick-Ass: The Movie Book. The book has a release date on Amazon of September 22nd, and can be yours for the price of $13.57. Here’s the official production description for the Kick-Ass companion book:

“‘Kick-Ass’, the bestselling comic book series by Mark Millar (writer of the graphic novel ‘Wanted’, which became a smash-hit movie) and artist John Romita Jr., is now an eagerly awaited film, and this is the essential companion book! What would happen if you tried to be a superhero? What would happen when an ordinary kid in a spandex costume comes face-to-face with the criminal underworld? Comic book fan and high school student Dave Lizewski, aka the self-styled vigilante Kick-Ass, is about to find out…and it’s going to get really, really violent! With Mark Millar as your guide, ‘Kick-Ass: The Movie Book’ gives you the lowdown on the making of the film, with eye-popping art from the original comics, script extracts and hundreds of movie photos! It is suitable for adults only.”

As our friends over at Joblo ask, is this September 22nd release any indication of when we can expect the actual Kick-Ass movie? Will it be a couple of months after that date, or even sooner, that the movie will be released? I don’t think they’d set a date for the companion book if they didn’t have a date at least in mind… so does that mean we can expect the release date for the movie pretty soon? I certainly would guess so.

The story for Kick-Ass sounds like it could be something pretty cool to see on the big screen. We all love the idea of superheroes – the fantastical superpowers and the idea of day-to-date excitement they have to offer – and I think exploring the idea of an everyday person trying to become one, even without superpowers, is a great idea (it kinds of seems like a DIY Watchmen for the younger generation).

(Click for larger version)

Kick-Ass is similar to Watchmen in that it’s about people who play at being superheroes – without any powers. It’s also similar in that it has a “hard edge” of strong language and violence. So does that mean its potential at the box office is in any way similar to that of Watchmen? Watchmen undoubtedly has a lot more fans than Kick-Ass does, but nonetheless they do share some things in common – and if the Kick-Ass movie stays true to the source material, the general movie going public may view the two as being similar. Hopefully there will be lessons learned from the marketing of Watchmen.

On the directing front, Matthew Vaughn being at the helm certainly doesn’t hurt Kick-Ass. In fact, I’d say it’s kick ass (sorry, I had to…)! I loved his Snatch-like Brit-gangster flick, Layer Cake, and although I wasn’t a fan of his fantasy tale, Stardust, I still appreciated the imagination on display. I’m sure he’ll display more of that imagination with Kick-Ass… that’s whenever the movie gets a release date, that is.

Kick-Ass stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Xander Berkeley, Lyndsy Fonseca and Chloe Moretz. It is directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman.

Are you looking forward to Kick Ass? Will you be purchasing the Kick Ass companion book?

Kick Ass does not yet have a release date, but as stated, Kick Ass: The Movie Book is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Sources: JoBlo and Amazon

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Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider 2 and Kick-Ass

Niall Browne — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:37:15 +0000

Nicolas Cage – love him or loathe him, you have to admire the man’s work ethic. He makes movies like they are going out of fashion, and while they may not always find an audience, they do show an actor who likes to try different material. No matter how crazy it may appear on paper (or on screen for that matter).

Cage has been doing the press rounds for Bangkok Dangerous and he has been spilling the beans on some of his forthcoming comic book movies: Ghost Rider 2 and Kick-Ass.

Cage’s only comic book movie to date, Ghost Rider, was a surprise success last year and a European based sequel is in the pipeline. When asked about a possible sequel Cage said:

“Yes, actually, had a nice meeting with the studio about 3-months ago, and we talked about going international with that character. Taking him into Europe, having him go on a motorcycle tour through Europe, and he’s connected with the church, if you can believe that. So it sort of has elements to it that are very much in the zeitgeist, with ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and things like that.”

Sounds like a nice holiday for old Nic.

Meanwhile the crazy haired actor talked about his role in Matthew Vaughn’s forthcoming Kick-Ass, an adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic of the same name. Cage said:

“As I continue working in film I want to try to keep it as organic and honest as possible, and I am that kid. I’m the kid that would dress up like a superhero, sneak out of the house at 10 o’clock at night, jump around pretending I was fighting crime. It was a good match because it’s definitely sincere. I play a guy named Damon, the father of Mindy who is ‘Hit Girl’ and I’m ‘Big Daddy,’ and I’m training my daughter to be a superhero.”

That’s why you have to love Cage, no matter how silly he sounds when he talks about movies, he comes across as very enthuastic.

If you are a Cage fan, Bangkok Dangerous opens on Friday.

Source: Comingsoon

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: August 24, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:27:01 +0000

Yes folks it’s that time of the week! Once again we troll through the overlooked movie news to give you a fully comprehensive overview of what’s been happening in Hollywood.

This week:

Nicolas Cage decides to Kick Ass, every-one’s favorite Journeyman Kevin McKidd may be a Highlander, Ben Affleck Extract’s something for Mike Judge, Samuel L. Jackson eyes Red Tails for George Lucas and The Sweeney gets shafted by the British Film Industry.

1. Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Lyndsy Fonseca have signed on to Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of the Mark Millar comic book Kick Ass. According to The Hollywood Reporter the plot:

“…centers on a high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons.Johnson plays title character, while Fonseca plays the object of the teen’s infatuation who believes Dave is gay. Cage is a former cop who wants to bring down a druglord and has trained his daughter (Chloe Moretz) to be a lethal weapon.“

It sounds like an interesting enough premise, but it also appears that there might be a bit too much going on to make for a focused film. At least Cage appears to be scratching his comic book itch these days, which should keep him away from Superman!

The crazy haired Elvis loving actor will next be seen in Bangkok Dangerous on September 5.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. It looks like Journeyman star Kevin McKidd may be the new Highlander. According to Joblo the actor was talking on Dublin radio and he stated that he’d been approached to star in the reboot of the series which originally starred Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert.

Is there truth in this? Who knows – but he is from Scotland and he has been known to wield a sword (see Rome) so there is a chance that there may be something to this.

Source: Joblo.com

3. Ben Affleck is in negotiations to star in Mike Judge’s new film Extract. According to Variety Affleck would play a lawyer who is the best friend of Jason Bateman’s lead in the new film.

“The Arrested Development actor stars as ‘a flower extract factory owner dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife’s affair with a gigolo.’”

It sounds quirky, but I don’t think that it’s going to break Affleck’s losing streak at the box office.

Source: Variety

4. It would appear that Samuel L. Jackson has been approached by George Lucas to direct the long gestating Red Tails.

Jackson told IGN :

“I just read it like two weeks ago. It’s a pretty good script. At one point (Lucas) was asking me if I’d ever want to direct anything. I said, ‘I don’t know, man. I’m trying to find things.’ He said, ‘Well, let me send you this thing. Maybe you might want to direct it.’ Well, I guess if I was gonna direct something George would be a great guy to kind of mentor me through that, especially a big ass special effects flying picture. The script’s good. I like it.”

However, Jackson isn’t too certain that he wants to direct:

“I don’t know. I don’t have a year and a half of my life where I wanna stop acting.”

Not earth shattering news, but it is interesting. Will Red Tails ever get made? Probably, but hasn’t the story already been told in the 1995 TV movie Tuskegee Airmen starring new CSI star Laurence Fishburne?

Source: IGN

5. The film version of the iconic British cop show The Sweeney has been put on hold. The film was due to star Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Ray Winstone as Jack Regan, but producers were worried that without a major star the film wouldn’t recoup its $16 million budget.

It’s a shame – the show is hugely influential in the UK and the British Film industry could be doing with a good home grown franchise. Harry Potter and James Bond films are not included as they are made with American money. The 1970’s detective show helped inspire the recent quirky sci-fi cop series Life on Mars. Even with something as small as a budget of $16 million British producers are still afraid to roll the dice on a film.

The British Film industry really needs a good kick in the ass to get motivated and start producing more commercial material for the rest of the world. Romantic comedy aside the UK isn’t really known for producing commercial cinema, and when they do make a good movie it hardly gets a release (if at all).

Every few years we do get a good British film that has commercial and critical success. In the last fifteen or so years we have had films like Trainspotting, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Dog Soldiers and The Full Monty which have been very successful around the world. However, what followed the release of these movies was a series of cheap imitations that ran the respective genres into the ground.

The UK really must get it sorted if it wants to have a selt sustaining film industry that can survive on it’s own.

Source: Variety

That’s it for another week.

See you at the movies!

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