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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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Top Editors Brought In to Re-Cut The Wolfman

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:47:33 +0000

Of all the big films on the docket for next year, the one I’m most concerned about is The Wolfman. The second trailer for the film looked pretty badass, I’ll admit – but this movie has suffered a plagued production from the get-go. A change in directors, callbacks for reshoots and re-designs in the creature effects… It all points to a studio trying to turn lead into gold through the usual movie alchemy.

Well, the guys over at Slash Film must have magnifying glass eyes, because they spotted something deep-six buried in an article over at Variety, which names editors Mark Goldblatt and Walter Murch as the two guys hired to do a recut of The Wolfman!

This revelation comes without the usual fanfare from the blogosphere that goes with every little development on a major movie – suggesting that the studio is trying to keep the continuing problems with The Wolfman off the radar until they make it to premiere time in February. Sorry guys, we’re still watching…

Murch and Goldblatt come with some pretty strong credentials: Golblatt has cut together films like Commando, Terminator 1 & 2, First Blood Part II, Starship Troopers, Armageddon and X3, while Murch was behind films like The Godfather Trilogy, The English Patient, Talented Mr. Ripley, K-19: The Widowmaker, Jarhead and Cold Mountain. Suffice to say: these are two seasoned vets being put to the task.

I don’t know what kind of mess The Wolfman is in, but I am certain that Murch and Goldblatt working together will result in at least a watchable (if not popcorn entertaining) film. I’m too cynical to expect greatness at this point, but so long as the finished film is better than Jack Nicholson’s 1994 version of the Wolfman story, I’ll be content.

Bigger worry on my mind: If Wolfman has ended up this big a mess, should we be concerned that the film’s director, Joe Johnston (above), is going to be helming Marvel’s Captain America movie? Johnston’s resume has some real hits on it (The Rocketeer, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji) but it also has Jurassic Park III on it as well… Hopefully whatever problems there are with The Wolfman, they’re confined to the story/script level and the actual film looks as great as the trailers make it out to be.

The Wolfman howls into theaters on February 10, 2010. What do you think about the editors brought in to recut the film? Good sign or bad? And how does all of this bode for Joe Johnston and Captain America?

Sources: Slash Film & Variety

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Joe Johnston Talks Jurassic Park 4 Story

Rob Keyes — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:32:53 +0000

Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News put up an interview from a while back on the set of The Wolfman with director Joe Johnston. In the interview they discussed a bunch of his previous works and a bit about Jurassic Park 4 for which he is attached to helm.

This was before it was announced that Johnston would be directing The First Avenger: Captain America so unfortunately, that topic does not come up.

In the interview, the topic of special effects (the right mix of practical and digital) came up and Johnston gave the example of the first Jurassic Park and how it still holds up today as something special in that regard. Shortly thereafter, Harry brought the conversation back to Jurassic Park to ask some questions about the widely speculated fourth installment of the franchise. Joe Johnston of course, directed Jurassic Park 3.

“Well, there is a great story for the fourth one that I would be interested in getting involved with and it’s nothing like the first three. It sort of takes the franchise off in a completely different direction, which is the only way I would want to get involved.”

Harry then asked if it would be again about a group of folks trying to survive against the dinos and Johnston responded, “We’ve done that and it’s been done three times…”

Following that, Harry emulated the feelings of many fans and said to stay away from the island.

“Why would anybody go back to that island? It was hard enough to figure out the second and third reason for them to go, but it would take it off in a whole other trilogy basically, but when it gets to that level it’s sort of about studios and Steven’s thing and who knows. I think we are at that point where we are due for another one if we are going to do it. They had what four years between them? 1992… 1996 or 1997, and then 2001, so we are past due. I don’t know, but we will see.”

Johnston’s Jurassic Park 3 was sadly was the worst of the trilogy for me and they definitely need to do something new and completely different for it to work or potentially kick-start the franchise with a new set of films.

What do you think about Johnston heading up another Jurassic Park and the Captain America movie? What do you want from Jurassic Park 4?

Universal has no official schedule set for Jurassic Park 4. The Wolfman finally hits theaters February 10, 2010 and The First Avenger: Captain America will hopefully not be delayed and open July 22, 2011.

Source: AICN

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s get to it.

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

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

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New Stills For The Wolfman Remake

Rob Keyes — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:34:20 +0000

Earlier today, Apple released the second official trailer for the long-awaited remake of The Wolfman starring Benicio Del Toro. The trailer improved upon the first but seems to reveal a little too much about the film and its visuals – notably the transformation scenes from man to werewolf.

The film has been delayed again and again and with an over-revealing trailer and a typically weak February release date, there’s cause for concern about the quality of the film. That being said, I like what I’ve seen before and I’ll be there opening weekend (barring any more delays).

Screen Rant was sent a set of new stills for the movie from this new trailer and you can check them out after the jump.

The Wolfman is directed by Joe Johnston (October Sky, Hidalgo) and features a star-studded cast including Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving alongside Benicio Del Toro as the lead.

Here are the images:

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Second Trailer for ‘The Wolfman’

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:02:28 +0000

A second trailer for The Wolfman has appeared online and it is a much better cut than the first Wolfman trailer we got back in August – but does it give away too much?

The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt. The framework for this new take on the classic tale has Del Toro playing an English nobleman who returns home to investigate his brother’s savage murder, only to discover that the killer is more than a mere man. The remake is being directed by Joe Johnston, who will also helm The First Avenger: Captain America.

Here is an official synopsis for The Wolfman:

Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro), a haunted nobleman, is lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. When his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Blunt), pleads for Lawrence to help find her missing love, Talbot join the search. Reunited with his estranged father (Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother and earns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Weaving) has come to investigate.

And here is the second trailer:

The Wolfman Trailer #2

Now that is a pretty cool trailer. The film looks much more polished and finished – and, as usual, Joe Johnston’s eye for set design has resulted in some spectacular scenery and sequences. We heard earlier this year that the filmmakers were having some problems with the Wolfman creature F/X, but from what I’ve seen, those problems definitely got worked out.

But are we seeing too much, too soon?

It’s a hard question to answer. On the one hand, I need to see some hair-raising Wolfman action if I’m going to plant my butt in that theater seat; on the other hand (as some have been mumbling around the Screen Rant offices), the amount of transformation sequences (the money shot of any werewolf film) featured in the two trailers might have “given away the farm” too early.

Too Soon?

Personally, I’ve been nervous about The Wolfman ever since it got bumped up to a February release date. That month is traditionally a dumping ground for movies that could’ve been cool, but never quite came together. And after a year where awesome trailers have resulted in lackluster films (see: Terminator Salvation or Transformers 2), I’m wary to trust anything that isn’t the actual film.

What did you guys think of the latest Wolfman trailer? Did it snag your interest or give away too much?

The Wolfman will be in theaters on February 10, 2010.

Source: Apple Movies

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Classic Movie Monsters vs. Modern Movie Monsters

Paul Young — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:29:18 +0000

It’s classic movie monster time! I was going to wait until Christmas to talk about this, but now seemed like a more appropriate time. We are going to compare the original black and white movie monsters (and the actors who brought them to life), against more modern versions and actors to see who comes out on top.

I know there are dozens of classic monsters, including the Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly, giant robots, aliens, and over-sized insects/animals, but I’m going to focus on the more famous literary monsters : Frankenstein’s monster, The Wolf Man, Dracula and The Mummy.

Let’s start with my favorite character, Frankenstein’s monster. Most people incorrectly refer to the monster AS Frankenstein – but actually, author Mary Shelley never gave the creature a name. In the 1818 novel, Shelley writes about mad scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein and how he learns to create life. Even two hundred years ago, people were apparently concerned about man trying to play God, because her novel has some uncanny similarities to modern ethical questions about cloning. Difference is, the town’s folk aren’t storming the castle with pitch forks and torches nowadays, but rather storming the politician offices with blogs and protests (Zing!).

Frankenstein 1931 (Boris Karloff) vs. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 1994 (Robert De Niro)

The Frankenstein monster has been in dozens of films, even getting a bride, a son and a ghost – but none were as good as director James Whale’s original 1931 Frankenstein. The classic image of Frankenstein’s monster that we are all most familiar with comes directly from the make-up genius of Jack Pierce, while the monster himself was brilliantly portrayed by Boris Karloff. Close your eyes and think of the Frankenstein monster – see what I mean? The film focused its story more on the creature and the town’s reaction to it and left behind the gothic romance of the novel.

In 1994, director Kenneth Branagh (Thor) changed that cinematic trend by focusing on the complicated relationship of what amounts to a father (Dr. Frankenstein) a son (The Monster) and a step-mom (Elizabeth), in his adaptation Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Branagh chose to remain faithful to the novel in his adaptation and after Dr. Frankenstein rejects his creation for the woman he loves, the monster focuses his rage and revenge in hurting Dr. Frankenstein by killing that woman. This version is by far the deepest and most emotional of all Frankenstein movies and Robert De Niro gives an incredible performance as the monster.

As time progressed, so too did the visual interpretation of Frankenstein’s monster (I particularly enjoyed Stephen Sommers’ version in Van Helsing), but they all got their inspiration from the godfather of monster movies – Boris Karloff. For that reason alone, 1931 Frankenstein wins hands down.

The Wolf Man 1941 (Lon Chaney Jr.) vs. Wolf 1994 (Jack Nicholson)

Just like Frankenstein, the Wolf Man has been in dozens of films, either as the titular icon or its many, many, cinematic progeny like An American Werewolf in London. However, make-up designer Jack Pierce proved once again that he is king of the monsters by giving us the classic image of the Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolf Man. In fact, because the original 1941 Wolf Man is based solely on old European folklore, rumor has it that many of the things we have come to know as true – changing during a full moon, vulnerable to silver and carrying the mark of the pentagram – were actually made up for the movie.

In original werewolf folklore, once an unfortunate soul was bitten, scratched or cursed, they would turn into a full-fledged wolf and not the two-legged human hybrid creature we call “Wolf Man.” It’s true that some films – such as The Howling, American Werewolf in London and Underworld – can “better” depict the full transformation from man to wolf because of modern-day advancements in SFX; however, all new wolf men take their cue from Lon Chaney Jr. and director George Waggner’s 1941 film.

Currently, there is a Wolf Man remake about to release in February 2010, The Wolfman (why they wouldn’t wait until Halloween is beyond me) and because I haven’t seen it yet, I can’t use it for a comparison. Instead, I’ll use Jack Nicholson’s 1994 interpretation, Wolf. The story is completely different: Nicholson is a writer who is bitten by a wolf and slowly turns into one himself. Chaney was a man attacked by a werewolf (Bela Lugosi) and turns into one as well. Although Nicholson was in better shape back then and looked great during the transformation scenes (at one point I thought he would make a great Wolverine based solely on his look in Wolf), the movie had too many flaws to ignore.

This is not really a great contest, because although I liked Wolf, it just doesn’t hold a candle to The Wolf Man in terms of its leading monster. This may change if next year’s Wolfman is as good as the SFX look (see above on the right), but for now, Lon Chaney Jr. and The Wolf Man are the clear winners.

Continue reading for our comparisons of Dracula and The Mummy…

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First Trailer For ‘The Wolfman’ is Here

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:13:32 +0000

This latest remake of The Wolfman mythology has been plagued with all kinds of problems. Everything from losing a director, to needing extensive reshoots, to having its release date bumped back to 2010.

When we recently learned that the creature design for The Wolfman (or the “Werewolf,” which is apparently a different creature altogether in the film) had to be redone, the news sent out more than a few tremors of worry that this movie had devolved into a hot mess.

We’ve been waiting for a trailer to (hopefully) calm our fears and today it has arrived: I give you the teaser trailer for The Wolfman:

For an HD version head over to Yahoo Movies.

I’m kind of on the fence right now: Like G.I. Joe there are sequences of the special f/x that look really cool – but other sequences (like The Wolfman perched on the statue howling at the moon) that don’t look so good. I’ll give the film this bit of praise: the plot is more intriguing than I thought it would be, and with the excellent roster of actors, I think we’ll get some actual meaty content to balance out the hairy spectacle of the monster(s).

In this version of the The Wolfman:

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), a haunted nobleman returns to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother…and discovers that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

As Talbot pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love (Emily Blunt), Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor. But as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself…one he never imagined existed.

The movie is being directed by Joe Johnston (The First Avenger: Captain America) and has a slated release date of February 10, 2010.

What did you think of the trailer?

Source: Yahoo Movies

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New Images Of ‘The Wolfman’

Ross Miller — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:01:43 +0000

Some new images have just been released for the upcoming new adaptation of The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro as the titular man-creature. The film has had a troubled production – including a whole new redesign of The Wolfman and many release date changes – but remains a highly-anticipated film nonetheless.

Bloody-Disgusting has the new photos (thanks to user “Mark”), most of which show The Wolfman as the “man” and not the “wolf” (apart from one which shows him in the background and shadowed). We’ve already seen some amazing looking shots (see above header) of the character in his fully-transformed glory – however, the recent redesign may not resemble those previously released pics. Check out one of the new Wolfman images below:

For the rest of the images, you can head over to Bloody-Disgusting for an exclusive look.

That silhouette image would be a lot more effective if we hadn’t already gotten a proper look at The Wolfman already. I think for these types of “creature features” it’s best to keep the audience in the dark as much as possible, so that the reveal of the creature in the actual movie is as shocking as can be. Maybe this is some sort of sign that this take on the monster will be more about more than the creature itself (and the transformation of it) – having a strong story, characters, and dialogue to go along with the main point of interest can only be a benefit in my eyes.

The Wolfman, as stated, stars Benicio Del Toro along with Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt (pictured above) and Hugo Weaving. It is directed by Joe Johnston (The First Avenger: Captain America), and after many changes, the film is now scheduled for a February 12th, 2010 release.

Source: Bloody-Disgusting (USER: “Mark”)

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Wolfman And Matt Damon’s ‘Green Zone’ Moved To 2010

Ross Miller — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:23:46 +0000

Variety is reporting that the latest take on The Wolfman and the Matt Damon/Paul Greengrass war-drama/thriller, Green Zone, have both been shifted to 2010 by Universal Pictures. Both films originally had a release date set for late this year.

We recently reported on The Wolfman’s shooting troubles: the filmmakers had to do a series of reshoots, which included a whole new redesign of The Wolfman’s look. The film previously had a February, then April, then November 2009 release date (talk about rescheduling), but I guess the shooting issues effectively forced the studio’s hand and now the film is set to debut on February 12, 2010 – a time of year that has traditionaly used as a dumping ground for bad films.

Green Zone is a war-drama/thriller film that reunites Bourne director Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon, and is about a pair of CIA agents on the trail of weapons of mass destruction. The film has been moved to March 12th next year, which suggests that the studio isn’t that hopeful about it getting many awards (otherwise they would have kept it in late 2009 to be eligible for the Oscars).

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass on the Green Zone set

Perhaps Green Zone is more of an war-thriller (a la The Hurt Locker ) than it is an Oscar-suited war-drama…

Universal President of Marketing and Distribution, Adam Fogelsen, said that, “We have seen just how enormous first quarter movies can be,” and cites the fact that movies in February this year made $215 million compared to the $136 million from November the year before as a (the?) reason for the release date moves.

I have only heard little things about Green Zone (I think I first heard about it in Empire magazine about a year ago), so beyond the desire to see Damon and Greengrass work together once again, I can’t honestly say I’m too concerned about its move.

But with regards to The Wolfman, I’m really quite disappointed. The shooting troubles may absolutely demand the release date be pushed back (and, admittedly, a long-awaited quality movie (if it turns out to be that) is better than a rushed bad one), but I was looking forward to seeing it as soon as possible.

What do you think about The Wolfman and Green Zone being moved ahead to 2010? Do you think the studio’s financial reasoning is understandable?

As stated, The Wolfman is now slated for a February 12th release, and Green Zone is slated for a March 12th release, both in 2010.

Sources: Variety (via Cinematical) and Empire (for the Green Zone pic)

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‘Wolfman’ Reshoots Equals New Creature Design

Ross Miller — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:19:14 +0000

It is being reported by Baz Bamigboye at The Daily Mail that the The Wolfman has gone through a series of reshoots. The reason for this? Apparently, according to an unnamed actor working on the film, “the Wolf was on its heels and looked daft.”

“Daft” = “silly” to you non-Brits out there…

The reshoots on The Wolfman are said to have taken six weeks in total, with director Joe Jonhston (Captain America) being involved, but most of the work being done by legendary stuntman-turned-second unit director, Vic Armstrong (who did stunt work on such films as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman and the classic werewolf movie, An American Werewolf in London). Armstrong’s larger involvement in the reshoot is suppossedly because “Johnston has been back in LA for the past five weeks overseeing the special effects and computer-generated images.”

With the type of film The Wolfman is – with the effects needing to be just right to show off the titled creature in action – I’m not surprised if Johnston has kept his attention firmly on that aspect…

As part of the reshoots, Armstrong reportedly came up with a great confrontation scene between the Wolfman and the Werewolf (there’s a difference?): “They really go after each other and it’s dramatic and exciting, whereas the stuff they shot first time round was limp.” - Star Benicio Del Toro flew back to the UK to do the reshoots, and Emily Blunt is currently busy with Gulliver’s Travels so she could only dedicate “three or four weekends.” Anthony Hopkins for an unknown reason was unable to fly back to the UK, so he did his additional filming in LA instead.

Universal has officially confirmed that additional scenes were shot. Here’s a comment from the actual studio themselves about it:

“The full articulation of the transformational lead character will be realized when the film is completed and we are excited to share his incredible look with the world in the upcoming trailer.”

I really hope they’ve got their act together – they need to make Hopkins’ L.A. scenes fit right with the UK ones. I’m sure our keen eyes will pick out any inconsistencies which may or may not be in the aforementioned trailer, when it eventually hits the net (which shouldn’t be too far away, I would imagine).

Rick Baker's 'Wolfman' concept art.

So, what does this news mean for the original Wolfman character design that was conceived by Rick Baker? A few months ago we got a look at some concept art that looked pretty bad ass as far as I could see (one of which is shown above). Perhaps it looked “daft” within the film’s gothic-styled setting, or didn’t look right during the action sequences.

Some of you film buffs out there may already know that Rick Baker was responsible for the makeup effects in An American Werewolf London (that’s both the special effects makeup artist AND the stunt guy from that classic werewolf movie, also working on this one!). The effects Baker came up with are still jaw-dropping to witness even twenty-eight years later. Baker is still credited as the special makeup effects artist on The Wolfman, so here’s hoping he had a hand in this reported new design.

What do you think about The Wolfman reshoots and the news of a different creature design? How would you like the Wolfman to look?

The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving, and is directed by Joe Johnston (The First Avenger: Captain America). It is slated for a release on November 6th, 2009.

Sources: TheDailyMail via /Film

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Wolfman Concept Art & Some Early (Positive) Reviews

Niall Browne — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:37:18 +0000

Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman starring Benicio Del Toro has had something of a troubled production – from original director Mark Romanek dropping out at the last minute to multiple release date changes.

However, as the November release date looms, more is becoming known about the film and by all accounts these details are helping to put fans fears to rest. Recent artwork online shows Rick Baker’s transformation make up for Del Toro and some reviews from early test screenings indicate that The Wolfman just might dodge that silver bullet after all.

Check out some of Rick Baker’s digital sculptures of Del Toro’s transformation below:

Check out more images here.

Meanwhile Aint It Cool News had some reviews from the recent Wolfman test screenings in New Mexico. The site received a few reviews which were generally positive and indicate that the film (at the minute) clocks in at around one hour fifty minutes and that the cut previewed was R rated.

Choice quotes from the AICN reviews:

“I quite liked this film. Perhaps they could tighten it here and there (I think it ran like 1 hour 50 mins) but I was surprised at its ‘brain over brawn’ approach and really hope that it finds its deserved audience this coming Summer.”

“I regard great old films as just important pieces of art as great novels or paintings so it is with great pleasure that I send this review of what I thought was a high minded, tremendous and incredibly SCARY work to you tonight. (seriously, people were shrieking during the last scene!)”

“Where THE WOLFMAN excels is the scenes themselves that feature our beloved hairy creature. Each and every single time the Wolfman appeared on screen, we viewers were glued to the proceedings. Not just because it’s the only thing we’re supposed to be focused on, but because the crew obviously had a blast filming these scenes. There is no shortage of gore or creative endings to villagers’ lives.”

Now remember that these reviews come eight months before the film’s release so a lot can change but they do seem to indicate that the film is a gory adult orientated horror movie – something that is lacking in Hollywood these days.

Seems like Johnston and company have crafted a pretty cool horror movie – roll on November.

The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving and opens on November 6th.

Source: AICN and HorrorMovies. ca

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Mid-Week Movie News Wrap Up – Dec. 11, 2008

Niall Browne — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:45:39 +0000

Come on folks, you know the drill! It’s the Mid Week Movie News Wrap Up.

This week:

Affleck goes to Arizona, Warner Bros, figure out Beetle The Bard; The Wolfman howls at a different time; Keanu Reeves has 47 Ronin and own a piece of Hollywood – cheap!

1. One time “Jack Ryan” and former tabloid fodder Ben Affleck is getting behind the camera once more following the stellar Gone Baby Gone.

Affleck will helm Arizona, the film details the death of an investigative reporter who died whilst covering the mob.

I’m damn happy that Affleck is regaining some of “the cred” that he lost during the JLO years. I think that he’s one of the last great leading men (in the traditional sense) and a growing filmmaker!

You go Benji!

Source: Variety

2. Love Harry Potter? Well I don’t, but if you do then you should be interested to know that Warner Bros. is very keen to figure out how the hell to turn J.K Rowling’s Beetle The Bard into a movie, or a series of movies.

The problem is that the studio has no idea how to develop these fairy tales into a feature (or features).

Answers please to Screen Rant (we will share the profits 50/50).

3. If, like me you are looking forward to The Wolfman then prepare to be disappointed. The horror remake has been moved again on he Universal release schedule. The Benicio Del Torro film will now open on November 6 rather than in April 2009.

Probably to get the Halloween audience. Besides – who would open a horror movie in the spring. It’s kinda like opening Halloween in August. Do you here that Dimension?!

Source: Variety

4. The Day The Earth Fell Asleep …erm I mean Stood Still star Keanu Reeves has signed on to 47 Ronin. According to Variety the film is:

“an epic period film for Universal Pictures based on the true tale of a band of samurai swordsmen who avenged the death of their master in 18th century Japan.”

Wanted co-writer Chris Morgan is penning the script. I’m sure that there’s going to be enough Matrix homage/rip-off to make this worthwhile. Maybe.

Source: Variety

5. Love movies? Of course you do – you’re reading the best movie news website on the net. Well, check out this great auction news at Cinema Static. Own movie props that appeared in your favorite movies! The good news? Not all of them cost an arm and a leg.

Want to own Christian Bale’s Batman Cowl? Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber? What about Mighty Joe Young himself?

If you’re interested check out Cinema Static where you can discover that lots start at $200-$300!

Remember – it could be you!

Source: Cinema Static

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

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Marvel Wants Narnia Writers For Captain America

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:09:41 +0000

Not too long after it was announced that Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer) was going to direct Marvel’s Avengers prequel, The First Avenger: Captain America, it looks like Marvel is taking the next logical step: Securing writers to pen the epic origin story of Steve Rogers.

The scribes currently in negotiations with Marvel Studios are none other than Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, both part of the writing team behind The Chronicles of Narnia films.

Is Captain America going to fantasy camp? Or does Marvel know something about these two guys that we have yet to perceive? Let’s talk about it!

Okay, so I understand Marvel’s choice for Joe Johnston as the director. The man has a long list of films (and f/x work) on his resume that cover all the necessary action/epic/emotional bases needed to make a legendary Captain America film. (I’ll be the first to admit I teared up at the end of Hidalgo.)

But Markus and McFeely are left-field choices in my opinion. Granted, The Chronicles of Narnia films also combine a variety of tones and genres into one, epic brew–but both The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian felt as hollow as a bird’s bones when I saw them in the theater. (Perhaps the director is to blame?) I do not want Cap to share that fate.

More to the point, The First Avenger: Captain America is a WWII epic/period-piece. And, after having run an IMDB check on both Markus and McFeely, I can say that nothing in their short, short, lists of movies leads me to jump to the conclusion that they have a keen eye for the sort of nuanced symbolism, hard-hitting action, thrills, chills and emotional grandeur that should go with a beloved character like Captain America.

In my view (at this very early stage), the best case scenario is that these two writers deliver one heck of a war/action flick. But can they really establish Cap as a worldwide box office icon? That’s a pretty tall order.

Before we all get in a tiff, however, let it be said that while it looks like Markus and McFeely will definitely get the job, at this point they are only officially in negotiations with Marvel. No dotted line has been signed as of yet.

What do you think? I know that many Screen Rant readers had faith in Marvel’s choice of Joe Johnston to direct The First Avenger: Captain America. How do you feel about these two potential writers? Sound off and let us know.

Source: Super Hero Hype

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Captain America Gets A Director

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:43:35 +0000

It’s official, folks! Marvel Studios has put out a production update stating a director has been tapped to helm the upcoming corner-piece to Marvel’s Avengers puzzle, The First Avenger: Captain America. So, without further ado, the man bringing us the adventures of the Star-Spangled Avenger will be none other than:

Joe Johnston (???).

For those not familiar, Johnston’s resume includes family adventure films such as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and Jumanji, inspirational films such as October Sky, a couple of popcorn-clunkers such as Hidalgo and Jurassic Park III, and the upcoming creature-feature reboot, The Wolf Man.

Yes, this is the man Marvel is hanging their hopes on to turn The First Avenger: Captain America into a box office smash. But with a resume as varied as Johnston’s, what kind of Cap movie are we to expect?

Before we tear into him, it should be noted that Joe Johnston has considerable experience with creating some of America’s most treasured cinematic heroes. Johnston started in the movie biz as a visual effects artist, working on a few small films you might remember as the original Star Wars Trilogy and Raiders Of The Lost Ark. The man knows how to turn everyman heroes into indelible legends.

Johnston also has some experience in the superhero-flick business. He directed the 1991 film The Rocketeer, a WWII superhero flick that definitely left a lasting impression on this young blogger. (It also had some of the coolest visual f/x I remember; it truly made me believe that a man could fly.)

Joe Johnston will Direct The First Avenger: Captain America

Taking all that past experience into account along with the assumption that whatever Johnston must be doing with The Wolf Man has impressed at least somebody around the Marvel Studios offices, I (and likely Marvel) expect Johnston will be able to construct a Cap film that is at once big in scope, furious in action, with an old-time 1930s – 1940s, WWII feel. It will also likely try to appeal to audiences both young and old, who remember what’s like to be treated to quality epic adventure movies. Here’s the movie’s official logline from Marvel:

In the early days of the Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Sounds like the standard plot you’d expect; my only hope is that they represent the character of Steve Rogers/Captain America properly. But then, we won’t know for sure what we’re getting until The First Avenger: Captain America hits theaters on May 6, 2011.

In the meantime, what do you think? Is Cap getting the treatment he deserves, or is Marvel selling him short by going with Johnston?

Source: Marvel Studios

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Danny Elfman Will Score The Wolfman

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:01:51 +0000

Danny Elfman, composer of all those famous TV/movie themes you didn’t even know came from one guy, (The Simpsons, Tim Burton’s Batman, Beetlejuice, Desperate Housewives???) will be handling the score for the upcoming remake of The Wolf Man, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving.

Hmmm. An Elfman score makes me think that this Wolf Man remake is going to end in failure like so many Wolf Men before it. Not saying there’s anything wrong with Elfman, per say, but for a Wolf Man movie?

I guess I just don’t see the guy who does the music for Desperate Housewives bringing the savage melody of The Wolf Man to life (sure, he did Batman, but that was a loooong time ago). Tribal drums and heart-pounding rhythms would be a much better fit. But hey, maybe that’s just what Elfman has up his sleeve. If the guy’s proven anything, it’s that he is a versatile composer.

Guess we’ll hear the proof for ourselves when The Wolf Man hits theaters on April 3, 2009.

Source: Slash Film

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: July 27, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:25:35 +0000

Man, where does time go?

Hard to believe that The Dark Knight is now a distant memory (well, I can still hear the cash registers ringing).

It’s now time to look forward to a new batch of movies. This week we have a horror remake bonanza featuring:

Leonardo DiCaprio entering The Twilight Zone, the return of Freddie Kruger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, MGM turn on the television and revisit Poltergeist and The Wolfman goes live.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way have joined forces with Warner Brothers to try and buy the rights to the Rod Serling scripted episodes of The Twilight Zone in an attempt to get a feature off the ground.

It’s not sure if DiCaprio would star in the film (or films) or what format they would take. Way back in In 1983 Warner Bros released a four-segment film that was directed by the then hot fab four of Joe Dante, John Landis, George Miller and Steven Spielberg. The film was however released under tragic circumstances when star Vic Morrow and two children were killed on set during the Landis’ segment.

No director or writers have been attached - yet.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

2. New Line Cinema (or what’s left of it) is bringing Freddie Kruger back from the dead. They have hired scripter Wesley Strick to pen the remake of Wes Craven’s 1984 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The remake is being produced by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production shingle.

The aim is that he film will be released next year on the 25th Anniversary of the original film.

Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to re-release it?

Source: Hollywood Reporter

3. MGM has decided to revisit the Poltergeist franchise. They are currently in the planning stages of remaking Tobe Hooper’s iconic 1982 horror film.

When the original film was released Steven Spielberg had to take out a full page ad in the trades to say that he didn’t direct the film.

I don’t think that he’ll have the same problem here.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

4. The website for The Wolfman has gone live. It features a pretty spolier free synposis and two pictures of the titular monster and Benico Del Torro and Anthony Hopkins in character.

There are also some words from an old Gypsy poem (and the original film starring Lon Chaney Jr.):

Even a man who is pure of heart,
And says his prayers every night,
May become a wolf,
When the Wolfsbane blooms
And the Autumn Moon is bright.

Spooky!!

Did I mention that this was a remake of a 1941 film?

Source: The Wolfman

That’s it for another week.

See you at the movies!!

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Comic-Con ‘08: Day 4 Wrap Up

Vic Holtreman — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:27:57 +0000

Doug Nagy from TheMovieBlog.com, Alex Billington from Firstshowing.net and me with the three stars of Bitch Slap at the Wrath of Con party

Another day at Comic-Con, another sore rear end from the uncomfortable seats in Hall H…

Today’s events included watching the Season 3 premiere episode of Heroes, which was a huge unexpected bonus. It looks like the show is getting its mojo back and if you’re a fan you’re really going to like it when it returns this Fall.

The Lost panel was attended by the executive producers (who revealed next to nothing) and Matthew Fox (who said almost nothing). They did manage to entertain the crowd, but overall it was cotton candy: a lot of fluff but not very nourishing.

One of the big surprises was how awesome the new Terminator Salvation trailer turned out to be. It was really very impressive and I think it’s going to be right up there with the first two in terms of quality and being a fan favorite when all is said and done.

Another pleasant surprise was Disney showing 20 minutes from their upcoming animated CGI film Bolt. I wouldn’t call it awesome, but I have to say it made me laugh quite a few times and was very cute. It’s certainly not Pixar-great but I think it’s going to be a very good family flick.

After that Pixar director Pete Docter gave a similar presentation for next year’s movie Up, that was given last year for Wall-E. There were a few character renderings and explanations of who they were and there were a couple of extended clips that were right up there with the usual level of story-telling quality. It looks like they’re getting back to issues of the heart instead of continuing down the “message-y” path of Wall-E.

I was going to sit through Universal’s panel and write it up, but I couldn’t bear to watch or hear any more about the awful looking Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. There was a scene where Abominable Snowmen (aks Yetis) were brought in to fight and they had such human mannerisms that it was just plain retarded. Don’t believe me? How about one Yeti kicking a bad guy hard enough to send him flying a very long way and another yet sticking his arms in the air and doing the football touchdown sign?

Sam Raimi and the principals from Drag Me to Hell were at the Universal panel and a clip was shown. While it’s a horror movie, it looks like it has the flavor of the Evil Dead films because it was also very funny in Raimi’s horror movie kind of way. If you’re a fan of those movies, this one looks fantastic and brings Raimi back to his roots. He also said he’s very interested in doing another Evil Dead film.

The unrated trailer for Quarantine, the American version of the Spanish horror film [Rec] actually looks pretty damned good.

Although the Wrath of Con party was great, we didn’t get to meet any real celebs since part of it was roped off as a VIP setion. Oh well… got to hang with my move site buds and the babes from Bitch Slap, a grindhouse type movie due to come out later this year.

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Comic-Con ‘08: Day 3 Wrap Up

Vic Holtreman — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:14:00 +0000

Gotta tell you guys, we’re having a blast. Somehow this year I’m relaxing more yet getting more posts out about the goings-on here at Comic-Con. Here’s a bit of a wrap up of yesterday (since it’s 3AM and no longer Friday).

I’ve enjoyed seeing some of my online movie buds in person again. Nice to actually hang out instead of just exchanging emails, Twitters and IMs.

The biggie: Attended the Watchmen panel and got to see new footage. Awesome.
Saw a bunch of trailers, most of which I’d seen. One I hadn’t seen was for Hamlet 2 and while I’ve heard the movie is great (it premiered at Sundance but I missed it), I thought the trailer made the movie look absolutely stupid.
Saw the first footage from The Wolfman and was (along with the audience) very impressed.
Attended the very sad panel for The Spirit and saw new footage which did not inspire confidence in the final product. Peter at /Film thinks it will be “The Dick Tracy of our generation.”
Went to dinner with Bruce Simmons at Dick’s Last Resort on 4th Ave – a crazy/fun restaurant.
Attended the Tropic Thunder screening which was WAY crude, but fantastically funny.
Went out for a nightcap with the crew from FirstShowing and ran into Jen from RottenTomatoes.

As a bonus, David Chen from /Film recorded a short post-Spirit panel interview consisting of himself, Pete from /Film, and a couple of the boys from LatinoReview. Check it out and let me know how you think I did!

[See post to watch Flash video]

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Wolfman Update From Comic-Con

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:41:34 +0000

Rick Baker, Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro were in attendance to talk about The Wolfman remake.

The panel started out with just Rick Baker but then he introduced Emily and Benicio. The film is a Victorian-era period piece very much in line with the original film. Baker stated that he doesn’t usually actively pursue jobs but when he heard about this one he went out of his way to make sure he was the guy doing the makeup effects for the film.

He thought it would be more appropriate to go the route of “real” makeup effects instead of CGI, although he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with CGI per se. But considering the era the film takes place in and that the primary character is a wolfMAN that it would be better to actually have an actor wearing the makeup instead of running around with those little white balls for CGI/camera tracking on his face.

They showed the crowd what looked to be a Red Band or unrestricted trailer for the film that went over very well with the crowd. The Wolfman is definitely a period piece not only in timeframe but in style of photography – it looks like it may not suffer from MTV-style jagged, quick-cut filming technique.

The trailer was quite gruesome in places and when asked whether the film would be rated R Baker said he didn’t know but based on what we just saw it certainly looked like it might be.

The werewolf was shown in the film and looked very good, with a hunchback and razor sharp claws.

The film is meant to be an homage to the original in that they used practical makeup effects wherever possible and having it take place in the late 1800s instead of modern day.

Having Del Toro in the film may actually be a decent draw for this – up until now I was thinking there wasn’t very much interest in the film. Of course there’s still a long way to go until it’s released next February.

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