Screen Rant » superman man of steel

Freddy Rorschach Kruger To Play Sinestro?

Paul Young — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:54:02 +0000

Grinding on the rumor mill… Harry over at Ain’t It Cool News is always popping up with some interesting rumors that, more often than not, prove to be true. Last time it was setting the story straight on the next Rambo movie and this time he’s going one better and calling the name of the person Green Lantern director Martin Campbell may be choosing to put on the yellow suit and purple make-up as Sinestro – none other than Jackie Earle Haley!

A few weeks back, Screen Rant’s Kofi Outlaw ran an article fantasy casting Sinestro and based on the feedback from our readers, Hugo Weaving was the favorite. Well, if you ever needed proof that Hollywood rarely pays attention to fans then this would be it. I trolled back through the comments and nowhere did anyone mention Jackie Earle Haley as a possible choice, oddly enough Dakota Fanning and Eric McCormack both made the list though.

Remember, even though Harry is saying his source is “pretty reliable“, he is filing this news under rumor so if it doesn’t turn out to be the case (which would very much surprise me) then all the “tweeting”, emailing, and blogging will have been for naught and we’ll be back in a holding pattern.

It is slightly puzzling that just yesterday we got wind of Warner Bros pulling the Green Lantern production out of Australia due to economic reasons and now we catch a sniff of casting rumors. But maybe it isn’t that puzzling because casting calls were held just a couple of weeks ago and it would be right about now that decisions would start being made on who will play who.

Another rumor Harry got from the same source, audiences may very well see a cameo from Superman in the Green Lantern. This last statement is what has me thinking the whole thing could be snipe hunt. We talked about it last year, but a lot has happened to Supes since then. Brandon Routh’s contract expired; DC lost the rights to Superman’s origins and then announced they had no plans to move forward with a new Superman movie. This makes it difficult to throw in a Clark Kent cameo (rumored last year) if they haven’t figured out who will play the Man of Steel for the next movie.

So, unless the cameo consists only of a name drop or showing Superman from the back, I don’t see what actor they have right now to make the appearance. Either way, it sure does makes for interesting blog-fodder and if it turns out to be true, then I’m sure fanboys across the nation and the world will want to weigh in on the casting choice.

What do you think of the possibility of Jackie Earle Haley playing Sinestro and Superman making a cameo appearance in the Green Lantern movie?

Green Lantern is slated for a summer 2011 release.

Source: Aint It Cool News

You Might Also Be Interested In:

James McTeigue Talks Superman & Magneto

Rob Keyes — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:24:47 +0000

At the end of July, Robert Sanchez at IESB broke the news that Warner Brothers were looking at James McTeigue to possibly direct a new Superman feature film that would act as a franchise reboot.

A few weeks later, McTeigue sat with MTV and while not confirming or denying any involvement, he did relay his idea of a reboot for Superman should he land the gig. His plan would take the Man of Steel in a different direction and skip through the overdone origins of Clark growing up into the hero we know him as.

Things were looking good for our favorite Kryptonian, up until Diane Nelson, the head of the newly formed DC Entertainment, explained that they do not have another Superman film as part of their current plans.

Was she just saying that just in case they don’t sort out their legal troubles with the heirs to the Superman creators and lose the rights to many of the original aspects of the character? Are they really not planning another Superman movie?

Obviously, they’re thinking about it with the production start deadline approaching in 2011. And it’s sure thing, WB will do everything in their power to get it all sorted out and regain full control of their poster boy character.

With DC Entertainment potentially set to launch an interconnected DC film universe of their own, starting with Green Lantern, to compete with that of Marvel Studios (and even of Fox’s X-Universe), they’re going to need their #1 hero.

If it does go forward, I think McTeigue and the Wachowskis (rumored to produce) would make for an interesting team to helm the project. On the topic of McTeigue and his ideas, Alex Billington at First Showing had a chance to chat with the Ninja Assassin director and they touched on the Superman project and his ideas for it.

“I think I would be interested in doing it if they let me do it the way I wanted to do it. I would say that, if you take the Richard Donner Supermans and the last Superman [from Bryan Singer], I think that Superman is probably ripe for a bit of a change up. I think society has changed around the core idea of what Superman was.”

“And I’m not saying you do the ubiquitous dark Superman, I’m not saying that… I’m just saying that I think there are some things that you could excise from the Superman mythology that people would get into it, if you took the world that he was in and changed that a bit, and maybe even project that into the future a bit. I think you don’t really have to play into the origin story anymore. I think there’s a whole bunch of things you could do to make that film more alive and exciting again.”

I’m glad he quickly tossed down this whole “dark superman” thing, as did Brandon Routh back when he was still likely to return. We don’t need that, we just need a new and fresh take on the character sans Lex Luthor and the history of the Kent family.

Click to continue reading about Superman: Man of Steel and that pesky Magneto rumor…

You Might Also Be Interested In:

No Superman Movie Plans For DC Entertainment

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:18:31 +0000

MTV recently spoke to Diane Nelson, the newly-anointed head of Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment Inc., and picked her brain about how the new venture will affect the DC films already in the pipeline and which heroes we can expect to see onscreen in the near future. In the midst of all this talk, Nelson let a quiet bomb (no, not that kind) drop: DC Entertainment has no current plans in the works for another Superman movie.

Why is this news such a big deal? It’s a bit of a convoluted story but luckily your friend Outlaw has been keeping his eye on Superman for a minute now. Keep reading to see what Nelson’s words may mean for the cinematic future of the Man of Steel and WB/DCE.

If you haven’t been following, the rights to Superman are currently in dispute. On one side of the courtroom are DC Comics and Warner Bros. – on the other side, the heirs of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The legal conflict started back in 1999, when the heirs of Jerry Siegel launched a lawsuit against DC/WB, claiming that they hadn’t been paid enough in licensing fees for the development of Superman TV shows (Smallville) and movies (Superman Returns). Later the heirs of Joe Shuster joined in the fight and as of this summer, WB has lost the right to use Superman’s origin story in any films or TV shows, and a judge has already ruled that unless the studio gets another Supes film into development by 2011, they will not be able to do so without first having getting the approval of the Shuster/Siegel heirs, who will own the rights to the character (his initial incarnation, at least) come 2013.

That’s a lot to follow, but if you get the jiist of it, then you understand how wild it is to hear that WB/DCE apparently has NO PLANS in the works for the next Superman film! Here’s the quote from Nelson:

“We actually don’t have any current plans for Superman…We’ve obviously done a lot of great things behind the property in our history, and it’s a key part of the family, but we don’t have current plans behind Superman…”

Well, 2009 is almost done and one year is a hell of a short time to get a massive tentpole like a Superman movie underway, so Unless the studio has a rabbit hidden under its hat, it looks like the chances of us seeing another Supes flick in the works before the legal deadline are pretty slim.

But does that mean we won’t EVER see another WB/DCE Superman movie?

I was toying with that very notion recently, when I suggested that the newly-formed Disney/Marvel team could concievably buy Superman – that is, purchase the rights from the Siegel/Shuster heirs in 2013. As was pointed out in our discussion threads, only those aspects of Superman originally created by Siegel and Shuster are being handed over, and at best, Disney/Marvel would own a severely limited version of the character. Now that Warner Bros. has created DCE (partly in order to keep pace with Disney/Marvel, no doubt), it’s looking more and more likely that the studio will invest heavily in their top player and throw the necessary zeroes onto the check they cut for the Siegel/Shuster heirs, in order to keep Superman in-house. Once that legal quagmire has been cleared, I suspect a new Supes film won’t be far behind.

For the meantime, let’s remember that the goal of DCE is to maximize the profitability of the ENTIRE DC brand – not just trying to find new ways of cashing in on the same sacred cow. The studio already has Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, Deadman, The Losers and Lobo – all lesser-known DC heroes – headed to the movies, so why not continue to focus efforts on turning no-names into show-names? Superman will always be king, whenever he should choose to return to the big screen.

However, I’m sure Nelson and DCE are all too aware of this. As I’ve stated: they’ll likely clear up all the legal woes (quietly), secure their hold on Superman, and worry about shelling-out big bucks for another movie later. We’ll keep you posted, though, just in case I’m wrong (gasp!).

Source: MTV News

You Might Also Be Interested In:

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

You Might Also Be Interested In:

James McTeigue Reveals His Superman Reboot Idea

Rob Keyes — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:02:22 +0000

Last week, Screen Rant Editor Kofi reported on the major Superman news where Warner Brothers lost possession of the rights to the Man of Steel’s origins.

The Judge had made another ruling on this decade-long court battle which stated that heirs of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster now own most of Superman’s early history. This obviously was another major blow to WB who found out earlier (in another ruling) that they’d be completely losing Superman come 2013.

For the film franchise, the court rulings meant that the studio needed to fast-track production of their Superman reboot plans and we reported on the rumor that James McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers would be put in charge of that task.

McTeigue stopped by the offices of MTV’s Splash Page and spoke with them about his vision for the Superman reboot. Not surprisingly, he didn’t confirm his involvement… or deny it, but he at least explained his idea for what he’d like the movie to be.

“I think if I was ever going to go near Superman, I would do a complete reboot—take it in a direction that you would absolutely not expect, actually… So, that would be my thinking on it, if I was ever going to go near Superman.”

Building on the recent news of Warner Brothers’ recent loss of the rights to Superman’s origins, McTeigue took it in a positive light, using it for his idea for the next film.

“I think it’s good that they just had a court case where, basically, if you make another Superman movie, you can’t touch Superman growing up—that’s part of the story that you can’t touch any more… That wouldn’t be a bad thing. I think everybody’s a bit sick of seeing the origin story.”

Assuming he has the gig as director of Man of Steel, he’s simply defending his employer. Of course he has to make good of the news if he’s helming the project. That being said, I agree with what he’s saying and we don’t need another origin story.

The idea all along was to make the re-boot more action-packed and move on past the same old stuff. That would mean less origins and less (or no) Lex Luthor. We need action, story and a worthy villain.

So, while James McTeigue still hasn’t been officially confirmed to be attached to the project, it certainly sounds like he will be. Check back with Screen Rant for more news and confirmations as they come.

What do you think of McTeigue revealing his potential Superman reboot?

Look out for James McTeigue’s Ninja Assassin which opens November 25, 2009.

Source: MTV

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Warner Bros. Loses Superman’s Past

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:29:43 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, a legal battle between DC/WB and the heirs of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster over the copyright to Superman has been raging for going on a decade now. In recent months, a judge ruled that in 2013, the Siegel/Schuster heirs will own the full copyright to Superman – however, many of auxillary elements of character developed by DC Comics after Siegel and Schuster’s initial introduction of the character have remained on the legal battlefield. Until now:

Warner Bros. no longer has access to Superman’s origins.

Variety reports that on Wednesday, Judge Stephen Larson ruled that the Siegels now control a lot of Superman’s early history, including his brief infancy on Krypton, his parents, baby Kal-El and the whole “sent to Earth from a dying planet” storyline. The Siegels also captured ownership of early Superman comic-strips and early Superman/Action Comics issues.

So what does this mean for film fans?

Well, we already reported that DC/WB is facing a ticking clock: Judge Larson has already ruled that unless the two companies get another Supes movie into production by 2011, they will forfeit the opportunity to do so entirely and the full rights to Superman (including any depictions of the character on TV/Film) will pass into the hands of the Siegel/Schuster heirs. With this latest ruling, I guess those of us worried that DC/WB would attempt to do a reboot of Superman for the next film can breathe a bit easier: looks like we won’t have to sit through yet another all-too-familiar origin story.

Won't be seeing this from Warner Bros anymore...

So what CAN another WB Superman flick offer?

Well, the studio still owns the rights to a lot of auxiliary elements of the Superman universe, including Lex Luthor, Superman’s ability to fly, kryptonite (the term), Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s powers and the character’s “expanded origins.” Plenty of stuff left to craft a fresh and original (key word) take on the Man of Steel. Time to get creative.

What do you think – does this latest ruling further hamper the possibilities of the next Superman film, or will it force inspire an injection of much-needed fresh perspective on the character?

Source: Variety

You Might Also Be Interested In:

The Future of Superman & Who Might Be Involved

Rob Keyes — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:56:46 +0000

Our friend Robert Sanchez at IESB has the scoop on the latest details leaking out of the Warner Brothers camp for the Superman franchise.

According to Robert and his search for information on the Man of Steel, WB is treating Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns as a sort of conclusion to the film franchise as it was before, and are heading in new direction with new people.

We knew this already with Brandon Routh’s and Bryan Singer’s contracts expiring, but Robert now has some clues as to who may be involved with the franchise’s future: James McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers!

From what he’s gathered, it sounds like the Wachowskis may produce with McTeigue at the helm, in the same way they’ve been working on the action-packed Ninja Assassin movie.

I guess our reports back in February on the rumors about the Wachowskis being looked at to create a new Superman trilogy weren’t so far off after all. What’s even more interesting is that those Wachowski rumors from the beginning of the year originated from an interview with James McTeigue himself! Now it’s all starting to come together…

There are several obvious factors making this a believable possibility: the history of the Wachowskis working with WB in the past (Matrix movies, Speed Racer), McTeigue’s relationship with the brothers, and the court hearings that are forcing WB to get this movie fast-tracked for a 2011 start at the latest.

A few weeks ago, Screen Rant Editor Kofi Outlaw wrote about the recent ruling by a U.S. District Court Judge on the ever-lasting legal feud between DC/Warner Bros. and the estate of late Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel.

This court decision stated that WB needs another Superman film in production by 2011, or they’d be subject to potential lawsuits from the heirs of the Superman creators.

Click to continue reading ‘The Future of Superman & Who Might Be Involved’

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Superman To Get New Owners – What About a New Movie?

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:48:29 +0000

This week, a U.S. District Court Judge made yet another ruling in the decade-long legal battle between DC/Warner Bros. and the estate of late Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel. The latest ruling (in this convoluted case) stated that all was fair (legally at least) regarding the licensing fees WB paid to DC comics in 1999, in order to develop properties like Superman Returns and Smallville.

Here’s the part you’ll care about: while the judge found that the deals between WB and partner DC weren’t illegal, he did state that WB should’ve paid 3-4 times what they did, and that if WB doesn’t produce another Superman film by 2011, the heirs of creators Siegel and Joe Shuster (who will jointly own 100% of the rights to Superman come 2013) will be able to sue the studio to “recover their damages.”

So, will Warner Bros. try to get another Superman film into production by next year?

Here’s what Warner Bros. currently has going for them, as far as a new Superman movie is concenered: No script. No director. No Supes film of any kind in development. No star to play Superman. Bupkis, really. No Man of Steel sequel to Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns; no “dark” Superman Unleashed reboot. Nothing but Bupkis. So much for months and months of rumors…

So what’s the best move now for Warner Bros. and DC?

Understand: in 2013, when the Siegel/Shuster heirs take ownership of the rights to Superman, NOTHING gets done without their approval. DC doesn’t release one issue of the comic book or any animated features; Warner Bros. doesn’t put out any Superman-related movies or TV shows. Unless the Siegels/Shusters give the go-ahead, WE DON’T GET SUPERMAN.

That said, it becomes easy to see why DC/WB might suddenly halt other planned comic book films to focus all their attention on Superman. After all, Supes is the most recognized superhero in the world and anything released with his name slapped on it is automatically going to have a better chance at ma$$ appeal than any other superhero this side of The Dark Knight.

Whatevs, I wasn't too keen on a "dark Superman" movie anyway...

But what can DC/WB do at this point? Developing and producing a Superman film takes a great deal of time and a WHOLE lotta money. And 2011 is NOT far away; we all know how quick time passes as movies crawl their way towards theaters.

So, the big questions: Should DC/WB try to push out one more Superman movie before the legal deadline? Should they try to go live action, or focus on an animated feature like the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enimies? Should they be in backrooms right now, trying to beg the Shuster/Siegel heirs to cut them a new deal before Superman ends up playing for team Marvel (it is possible)?

And finally: will this legal stuff effect the rumored Superman cameo in the upcoming Green Lantern live-action film?

Let’s get to the debate. Leave your comments.

(If you want to read more about the current legal battle between the Siegel estate and DC/WB, you can do so here.)

Source: Variety

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Will Superman Be Unleashed In The Sequel?

Rob Keyes — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:39:23 +0000

It was just last week when we heard the crazy rumor of the Wachowski brothers possibly directing a new trilogy of Superman films that was later debunked – and now we have more Superman rumors!

Peter over at /Film apparently got into a password protected page on the Legendary Pictures website with the help of one of their readers and this particular page listed some interesting information for the next Superman project.

Listed on this page of films in development was a movie titled Superman Unleashed, a supposed sequel to Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. The synopsis of the film listed on the page went as follows:

“Ramping up the action of its esteemed predecessor, the sequel to ‘Superman Returns’ promises to raise the stakes and take the audience to heights of action that no other superhero movie can achieve.”

What does this mean? Probably not much.

I highly doubt the film will be called that for obvious reasons. To me, it’s just the temporary name of the project which emphasizes the increase in action and excitement that they want the movie to achieve.

We already knew there were going to be more Superman films down the road but this suggests that the next will be a follow-up to Superman Returns as opposed to a complete reboot which has been hinted at for a while now (since we found out Bryan Singer would not be involved in the next Man of Steel project).

This information from that page has been taken down since the story was first put online.

What do you think of the synopsis for a possible next installment in the Superman franchise?

Source: /Film

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Rumor: Wachowskis To Direct Superman Trilogy? [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:50:58 +0000

[UPDATE: Just as we suspected (and noted below) this was nothing more than rumor and has been debunked by /Film]

A “reliable” source for Ain’t It Cool News has provided them with some interesting information regarding the future of the Superman franchise as well as an update on the current status of Ninja Assassin.

This source, while in Berlin, caught an interview James McTeigue (who’s directing Ninja Assassin) and in the interview McTeigue revealed that the Wachowski Brothers have been approached about rebooting the Superman franchise as a trilogy.

Here’s the juicy parts of the message he sent:

McTeigue confirmed that Plastic Man was the next project in the pipeline for the Wachowski’s and he had been signed on to provide Second Unit support. Says the movie has been delayed indefinitely due to a major shake up of projects at WB.
Bryan Singer has refused to undertake a re-boot of the Superman franchise and has left the Executives at WB with no choice but to take a fresh creative direction.
He (McTeigue) stated the Wachowski Brothers had been approached to re-boot the franchise as a trilogy and they are currently reviewing their options as its like being asked to take the final play in a superbowl final.
Says if they do agree, he will likely either succumb to providing second unit support on the movie or will champion the directorship of Plastic Man – He started to giggle as he stated its like a young child for the Brothers and they wont give that up easily.
Says, the very thought of the brothers making a superman movie is unbelievable as they have grown up in the world of comic books and they would be ideal for the project.
Stated that Bryan Singer is looking to move on to Logan’s Run a movie to be produced by Joel Silver.

We knew Bryan Singer wasn’t involved in the next Superman project and we expected he wouldn’t be since they wanted to reboot the franchise.

But having the Wachowskis takeover makes me curious. I don’t know if this is a good thing or bad thing if it actually happens. Speed Racer, while being an obvious kids film, was completely unwatchable for me. On top of that, I disliked the third Matrix film and thought the second needed improvement. I must however give them credit on their writing and producing credits on V for Vendetta and the upcoming Ninja Assassin – The second of which I know will be amazing without even needing to see a trailer. Just check out this fight training video for that here and you’ll see what I mean.

Since the interview was focused on Ninja Assassin wrapping up, the source also summarized a bit of what McTeigue had to say about that:

Ninja Assassin is locked and complete. Awaiting a suitable marketing strategy and release from WB. Looking likely to be a late summer release.
Action scenes are absolutely brutal, unbelievable vision from the Wachowski’s in blocking the fights with the Hong Kong stunt team.

I cannot wait to see Ninja Assassin and the one thing Wachowskis can consistently do very well is fight choreography – so having them involved as producers and attached to the project is a good thing.

To clarify the obvious, this is currently just a rumor. If true, being approached to do the films is different than being signed to do them. As long as it’s nothing like Speed Racer and not geared towards kids, I think it’ll be interesting to see the Wachowski Brothers’ take on the Man of Steel.

What do you think of the prospect of the Wachowskis directing the next Superman?

Ninja Assassin’s release date is still to be announced and the next Superman film has no official time frame as of yet.

Source: AICN

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: February 1st, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:51:58 +0000

It’s February and Sunday and that means it’s Wrap Up time.

This week:

We look at the box office and Mickey Rourke sees Broken Horses; a Watchmen star watches women; Puss in Boots shuffles forward and Bryan Singer says Logan’s Run is slow.

Box Office

Liam Neeson’s Taken surpassed expectations and shot up an impressive $24 million over the weekend – despite the Super Bowl.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop arrested another $14 million bringing its total to $84 million. I’m guessing that at some point somebody will start talking sequel.

The Uninvited grabbed $10 million, while New In Town was pretty much ignored with a $6.5 million weekend. Looks like Rene Zellweger will be talking about Bridget Jones 3.

Gran Torino crossed the $100 million milestone and made another $8.5 million. Looks like Clint is going out on a career high.

Oscar hopeful Slumdog Millionaire made $7 million and managed to come within spitting distance of $70 million. $100 million is now almost a given.

Movie News

1. Mickey Rourke is in negotiations to star in Gangster film Broken Horses.

Indian director Vidhu Vinod Chopra will direct.

I’m guessing that the producers will offer Rourke more than $250,000.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. Watchmen star Jeffrey Dean Morgan will star with Hilary Swank in The Resident. The Hammer Horror film will be directed by Antti J. Jokinen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story centers on a young doctor (Swank) who moves into a loft in Brooklyn where mysterious occurrences lead her to suspect that she is not alone in her home. She discovers that her seemingly charming landlord (Morgan) has developed a dangerous obsession with her, resulting in a terrifying game of cat and mouse. “

The last horror film that Morgan and Swank starred in was PS I Love You.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Shrek fans rejoice! The Puss In Boots film has got a writer. Tom Wheeler will write the Shrek spin off. In the meantime Shrek Goes Fourth opens on May 21, 2010.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. If you’ve been looking forward to Bryan Singer’s Logan’s Run then you might be unhappy to learn that the film is far away. If it’s even in the distance.

Also, it looks like Superman isn’t on Singer’s plate either as the director plans to take some time off. Speaking to LA Times writer Chris Lee Singer said:

“At the moment, I haven’t decided. I really don’t know. I’m taking a genuine break. The last four years have been really busy with the miniseries, the TV and the movies. I’m taking a few months to collect myself and figure out what I’m going to do in that regard. We did a lot of development on that movie and a lot of work. To start it up again, I wouldn’t start it up again without a full commitment. So I have decisions to make. Right now, that’s just hanging around.”

Source: LA Times

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

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Bryan Singer Isn’t Not Involved With Superman Reboot

Jamie Williams — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:29:07 +0000

Now that Bryan Singer is (finally) finished with his WWII thriller Valkyrie and off promoting said film, the question of his involvement on Superman: The Man of Steel was bound to be asked.

Speaking to UGO Movie Blog, Singer was rather cryptic towards the prospects of his participation.

That is to say although he is not “officially involved in the talks,” Singer is “not divorced” from it either – aka Bryan won’t be directly involved but will be paid regardless thanks to the expensive “Pay or Play” deal he inked with the studio back in October ‘06.

So, don’t be surprised if Bryan is given a “Producer” title despite his non-involvement (i.e. like Jon Peters was on Superman Returns!)

By all accounts, the next Superman film is definitely moving forward – what with the news of Brandon Routh possibly returning in the red-and-blue suit even though it’s said be a “re-introduction” film (according to Warner Brothers #2 big-cheese Jeff Robinov) as well as him cameoing in Green Lantern as Clark Kent.

Something tells me we’ll be hearing more news in the coming month(s)…

Source: UGO

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Brandon Routh Talks Sense About A ‘Dark’ Superman

Rob Keyes — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:24:23 +0000

Last week, IESB had a chance to talk with Brandon Routh, and much of the conversation focused on the next Superman flick.

After discussing what projects he’s been working on, IESB asked Routh about his thoughts on The Dark Knight. Predictably, his response had nothing but high praise. Since the “Will Superman be dark since it worked so well for The Dark Knight” question has been raised before, IESB asked Routh whether he thought if Superman could be done in the same dark fashion.

“I don’t know, I don’t think the character necessarily has to be darker, I think he is kind of dark in a sense, emotional dark, in Superman Returns, and the movie as a whole was slightly dark, they could have had more prowess in it I suppose, and I think that’s one thing that can be done in the sequel, so I don’t know how much darker you want to make it necessarily.”

Good answer my friend – I’ll explain why later. Routh continues:

“You make the stakes higher, you make the villain darker, I think that’s a way to do it. But I don’t think Superman himself needs to be darker. He definitely has to struggle, how does Superman be a part of the world? And does he have to make sacrifices to be a part of that world? To fit in and what purpose does he really play in the world? Those are all kind of dark places to explore. But, I don’t think Superman should ever be dark and brooding, that’s not is nature. And that’s now what people what to see.”

I loved Routh sporting the costume and cape and I was excited to hear that he may be back for the next film. Now, I’m even more excited simply because he knows what he’s talking about here and truly understands these characters.

“Dark” is the most inappropriately and overused word of choice for the film industry in 2008.

“Realistic” and “believable” would be more accurate words to describe what makes a film really connect with viewers. It makes the suspension of belief easier and a smoother transition for the audience members. It can help us relate to and/or understand the characters and their motivations better as well as the make the plot seem less “goofy” for a superhero movie.

It wasn’t being “dark” that made The Dark Knight successful; it’s that the story was solid and it was executed properly with a stellar cast (plus the most hype ever for a single film). Although the harsh tones and themes played a big part in defining the movie, darkness does not equal better or more successful. Iron Man was not “dark,” and it was a smash-hit as well. It didn’t need dark tones or themes to tell its story.

Using Batman as an example, it’s not how dark it is that makes Nolan’s films work; it’s that it’s not stupidly corny and childish. Hence, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were terrible, and Batman Begins and TDK were incredible. It’s their focus on story, characters and an appropriate style executed properly that makes a film in this genre work. In the case of Superman, that style will obviously be different than that of Batman, as Routh points out in the interview.

So it drives me nuts when I hear people making comparisons to The Dark Knight… Saying that Superman needs to be darker, Iron Man 2 needs to be darker, blah blah – shut up. Focus on story, characters and your own style and proper execution.

In conclusion, The Dark Knight was awesome, the next Superman flick hopefully will be awesome, and Brandon Routh is the man.

For the full interview, and to see what Routh has to say about a possible villain for the reboot, checkout IESB.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Sigh… Mark Millar Talks Superman. Again.

Jamie Williams — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:43:05 +0000

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Mark Millar is the comic-book writer who cried wolf.

He’s had quite a reputation for fabricating info for the sole purpose of getting himself (and his comics) press. There were his claims of “knowing” that Jim Caviezel had been cast as Superman/Clark Kent in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns and rapper Eminem “begging” him to star in Wanted. In both cases, he later admitted to making it all up.

Millar was recently chatting it up with Empire Magazine when he revealed details to his dream-project: His Superman trilogy with a “big-Hollywood action director” attached:

“It’s gonna be like Michael Corleone in the Godfather films, the entire story from beginning to end, you see where he starts, how he becomes, and where that takes him. The Dark Knight showed you can take a comic book property and make a serious film, and I think the studios are ready to listen to bigger ideas now.”

“The problem with Superman Returns was like releasing Stars Wars in ‘77, The Empire Strikes Back in ‘80 and then waiting 28 years to release Return of the Jedi, it wasn’t relevant. I understand what Bryan Singer was trying to do, to pay homage to Richard Donner’s original vision, but I think you should pay homage by doing something completely different.”

“I want to start on Krypton, a thousand years ago, and end with Superman along on Planet Earth, the last being left on the planet, as the yellow sun turns red and starts to supernova, and he loses his powers.”

I can almost guarantee the genesis of this interview involved Millar doing press for the currently-filming Kick-Ass! or the soon-to-be-released-on-DVD Wanted.

But I gotta be honest, his ending does sound all-kinds-of-awesome. But that part aside, we’ve literally heard all this before from Millar (Empire even acknowledges that in said article!)

That said, you folks have to realize that if Millar was really in the running to write the screenplay, he would never openly reveal plot-details of his script.

He was basically saying (in his own way): “Look, I’m not getting the gig. But if Warner Brother did hire me, here is what I would do…”

Nothing more, nothing less.

Source: Empire

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Will Brandon Routh Appear In The Green Lantern Movie?

Jamie Williams — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:25:06 +0000

Over the last 48 hours, we’ve heard the news that Ryan Gosling is in the running for Green Lantern and that Brandon Routh will continue to play Superman/Clark Kent in the Superman reboot.

Considering that Warner Brothers is aiming to have the next Superman film out by summer 2012 (a solid 4 years away), there are those wondering if keeping Routh is a bit premature. Normally, I would agree with that logic.

However if you will all remember, boys and girls. According to a script review from two months back, the character of Clark Kent makes an appearance in Green Lantern(!)

Furthermore, we know for a fact that Warner Brothers and DC Comics are trying to play the same card game that Marvel Films has (so far) successfully pulled off - i.e. set the franchises in the same universe/continuity so the various characters can interact with one another in the form of cameos, references, etc.

Knowing that and with the recent of news of Routh possibly staying on as the last son of Krypton, there’s a solid chance that he could in fact done the glasses again in Green Lantern.

If for no other reason than to possibly set up the Superman reboot – which we’ve heard Warner Brothers intends to keep Superman: The Man of Steel as its title.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

So Is Brandon Routh Still Superman?

Jamie Williams — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:01:17 +0000

Sometimes, you hear something so crazy that it absolutely can’t be true. Until it turns out to be just that.

Case in point: About two weeks or so back, I wrote up an article detailing exactly what was going on with the Superman film franchise based on information given to us by very reliable sources.

I was told point-blank that the next Superman film would in fact be a total reboot (in the vein of Batman Begins and Casino Royale) with a new set of filmmakers and actors. Sure, that made perfect sense.

What’s interesting though is there was one item from a contact (whose proven to be dead-on in the past like with the Harry Potter release date shift which I couldn’t get officially confirmed so ran with as a speculation piece instead).

According to said contact, both Alan Horn (the big-cheese at Warner Brothers) and Thomas Tull (the head of Legendary Pictures) wanted Brandon Routh to reprise his role of Superman and Clark Kent in the reboot film. This despite the fact that he headlined Bryan Singer’s quasi-sequel Superman Returns.

Of course, that made Absolutely. No. Sense. I mean, that would be like Roger Moore playing 007 in 2006’s James Bond reboot Casino Royale instead of Daniel Craig.

And now, ladies and germs, it appears I have egg in my face for not running with said news-item.

The folks over at Latino Review had a chat with DC Comics head-honcho Paul Levitz about the status of various DC film-projects. When the subject of the Superman reboot came up:

In fact, he told me that “Last week Brandon Routh has come around the offices in New York and Los Angeles as of late to talk about Superman and what we want to do”……blah blah blah!

At first I thought it was the Apple Martini I was drinking but I soon realized that I just heard a bombshell go off in my brain! Brandon? He did say Brandon Routh was coming around talking about Superman! Why the hell would they be talking to Brandon if he was not going to be part of the reboot? Because he’s still in the mix!!!

The truth of the matter is that the way Mr. Levitz made it seem is that they love Brandon as Clark Kent and that he’s just a great guy, which I agree.

What’s interesting is this confirms what we told you about Warner Brothers, DC Comics and Legendary Pictures making damn-sure they all agreed on what they were going to do with the reboot.

They also verified through their sources that Superman wouldn’t grace the silver screen again until summer 2012 at the earlier – which again we told you.

To be fair though, the next Superman film is a ways-off and things can certainly change. But at the moment, it appears that Brandon Routh will done the red-and-blue suit once again.

Source: Latino Review

You Might Also Be Interested In:

What’s Happening With The Superman Sequel?

Jamie Williams — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:33:44 +0000

With the news last month that Warner Brothers planned on rebooting the Superman film franchise, I thought it would be a good time to give an overall status report on everyone’s favorite big blue boy-scout. And let you folks know what’s going on…as of now, at least.

First things first, no director or screenwriter(s) have been hired nor are any in negotiations at this time. Warner Brothers is simply looking at a few candidates as potential “feelers.” Nothing more, nothing less.

If there’s anything the studio learned from Superman Returns, it’s that they’re not going to hand over another blank-check to a “big name” director. So more likely than not, the eventual director will be someone who works well with the material, sees eye-to-eye with the approach they’re taking and (most importantly) can be easily controlled by the studio.

An example of this would be when Peter Jackson was first hired for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bryan Singer for X-Men, Sam Raimi for Spider-Man, etc. You get the idea.

Regarding the big question of casting before anyone asks, the answer is no: Tom Welling will not be Superman. For some of you, take a moment, and let whatever feelings you have about that out of your system.

The studio isn’t going to spend $150-$200 million (if not more) to produce Smallville: The Movie. Like it or lump it, that’s exactly what it’d be if they went with Welling. Additionally, the failure of X-Files: I Want to Believe this past summer further proved that cult following doesn’t equal mainstream audience. So one can’t argue that Welling would bring in “a big audience” during the opening weekend.

I don’t care if you love or hate the idea of him as Superman on the silver screen. He’s not in the running. Sorry, but it ain’t gonna happen. Get over it.

Whoever becomes the next Superman/Clark Kent will be an unknown for obvious reasons. For the studio, it’s easy to nab one down to a multi-picture deal (i.e. cheap) and for the filmmakers there won’t be any “baggage” coming into the project with said actor.

Now what about Wanted and Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar who’ll tell anyone with a set of ears (and more importantly, a camera) that he wants the writing gig? Well, his claims about “being a Marvel guy” as the reason Warner Bros. rejected his pitch last year are 100% Grade-A B.S. Plain and simple, they hated it.

But what of his recent claims of writing an epic Superman trilogy that’s a second away from being greenlit with his phantom “American action director” at the helm? Uh, that would be: no.

I don’t doubt his love for Kal-El, and maybe he’s met with a director in the past. But if he was really in the running, he wouldn’t be talking out loud to the press before being heard (again) by the studio.

Furthermore, he’s had a well-documented history of flat-out fabricating news-items just to get himself press (i.e. his claim of “knowing” Jim Caviezel would play Superman in Returns and Eminem “begging” to star in Wanted – both turned out to be bogus rumors that he started!) Therefore… you can’t honestly take him at his word on the matter – especially since there’s been no one to come out and back-up his claims.

And Millar wasn’t the only comic-book writer the studio heard pitches from. The likes of Grant Morrison, Mark Waid and Geoff Johns also came in with takes on how to properly revive the franchise. And like Millar, they were shot down. So it’s safe to say they’ll begin hearing from screenwriters again.

Quite frankly, I doubt we see Krypton’s last son return to the silver screen for… awhile. They’re currently projecting a 2011 release. The thing is though, Warner Brothers appears to be damn-near booked with arguably the three biggest blockbuster tent-poles for that year: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows – Part II, Batman III and The Hobbit.

They just plain don’t “need” Superman right now. Although it’s definitely a priority to get the Man of Steel back on track. But they can honestly afford to take their sweet time (which they are!).

That, and after the reception of Superman Returns, they want to make damned sure this revival film will be something that everyone (i.e. WB, DC, Legendary Pictures, etc.) is 100% behind.

But rest assured, Superman will return to the silver screen…eventually!

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Superman Officially Goes ‘Reboot’

Jamie Williams — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:54:41 +0000

After a solid year’s worth of news, rumors and flat-out Internet BS regarding the future of the Superman franchise, Warner Brothers has decided: The Man of Steel is headed for a reboot.

As WB big-cheese Jeff Robinov explained to the Wall-Street Journal:

“‘Superman’ didn’t quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to. It didn’t position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had ‘Superman’ worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman.”

Personally, I was a fan of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns and was anticipating his sequel (i.e. the oft-titled Superman: The Man of Steel!) Ahhh well! Nothing anyone can do about that.

I’m first and foremost a fan of the character. So let’s just hope that the studio lines up the right talent behind the camera with the right direction for Superman.

But a new concern seems to have arisen from the same article:

“Like the recent Batman sequel — which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far — Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as ‘The Dark Knight.’ Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.’ DC properties. ‘We’re going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it,’ he says. That goes for the company’s Superman franchise as well.”

I wouldn’t worry (if at all, to be honest) towards the “dark” remarks from Robinov. They’re coming from a real high at the moment with The Dark Knight kicking so much butt at the box-office. He’s basically just talking out loud throwing out ideas.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And prepare yourself for months of 100% Grade-A B.S., folks. At the moment, there is no director nor screenwriter(s) currently working on the new Superman revival film. Nor is there a storyline or approach that everyone at WB has agreed upon.

It basically boils down to this, boys and girls. The studio knows exactly what they don’t want, and they’re working from there.

Regardless of what ultimately goes down, Superman will return to the silver screen again… eventually.

Source: The Wall-Street Journal

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Brandon Routh Speaks On Superman: Man Of Steel

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:13:17 +0000

…Only to tell us more of the same.

In a recent interview, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh said that the next chapter in the Superman-reboot will indeed start filming in 2009, and that a script is still being worked on as we speak (thank you WGA strike.) Let’s pray that if the filmmakers choose to dive back into the continuity established by Superman Returns, they spend the very first scene of Man Of Steel killing off that stupid ‘Son of Superman’ character. I’m seeing a Kryptonite canister placed in a child’s inhaler… (cue the sinister laughter.)

However, there was one interesting tidbit from the interview with Routh: when asked which film Warner Bros. was planning on completing first, Man Of Steel or the much-hyped Justice League, Routh had this to say:

“I think it seems as though [the 'Justice League' movie is] not happening, it’s on the back burner right now so it’s just ‘Man of Steel’ now, I know, they’re busy writing a script and then I trust we’ll be starting next year, early next year. That’s my timeline anyway.”

Guess that quote pretty much puts a fork in any lingering rumors that Justice League will be coming to a theater near you any time soon. (R.I.P. Justice League, we hardly knew ye.) For super-group afficionados everywhere, this means their eggs of joy will now have to be placed in the basket of Marvel’s Avengers flick–or, to a lesser extent, with G.I. Joe.

Hit us back and let us know YOUR best recommendations for what the Man Of Steel script should entail. And don’t be shy: any idea you come up with can’t possibly be worse than Superman Returns.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Is John Williams Scoring Superman: Man Of Steel?

Jamie Williams — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:31:20 +0000

Later this week, legendary film-composer John Williams and the Boston Pops will play select music from Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at the Boston Symphony Hall. You might have heard of that film…

While discussing the event, the Boston Globe made mention of Williams’ upcoming slate of projects including Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince and Jurassic Park IV – didn’t know there was any movement on that one!

Interestingly, according to their sources, he’s also lined up to do the music for the Superman Returns sequel Superman: Man of Steel.

Normally, I wouldn’t make mention of a random blurb such as that, however I received word a few weeks back that Williams was indeed meeting with Warner Brothers about possibly working on the music for Man of Steel.

Of course, the Superman sequel is still in early stages of development – director Bryan Singer and the studio are meeting with writers on the project. And there are those who don’t think it’ll get made to begin with.

But the fact that the Globe brought it up on their own is a bit too coincidental.

Having said that, this is not set in stone and we are looking further into the matter…

Source: The Boston Globe

You Might Also Be Interested In: