In this week’s Sci-Fi Movies column, we have box office news for J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 [Updated], official title and release date announcements for The Hobbit movies, a first look at Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, more sequel news (Tron, Terminator, Pirates), plus more news including for Hunger Games, Avengers and Oz: The Great and Powerful. Plus the latest casting bites, images and videos.
GENRE MOVIE NEWS
1st place $12.2M Friday for J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 [Update]
After sneaking into 324 locations (including 239 Imax theaters) Thursday — and garnering more than 100,000 participants and $1M in the process — J.J. Abrams’ "Super 8" opened today at 3,379 theaters (no 3D, but 240 Imax theaters). The film opened to an estimated $12.2M (including an estimated $500,000 at 1,524 midnight locations–Note: The $12.2M figure does not include the $1M Thursday). [Update] The film increased a solid 15% on Saturday ($14.0M) and is projected to drop just 23% on Sunday ($10.8M) for what will be a solid $37M 3-day haul ($38M including the Thursday Twitter sneaks). That’s pretty good for the $50M-budgeted Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi project (Paramount spent an estimated $25M on marketing) and is more than enough to give it a first place finish for the weekend. "X-Men: First Class" was second with an estimated $7.6M on Friday and $25M for the weekend.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Anthony’s TrekMovie.com review of the film. Check out an interview with Abrams at Washington Post (and a video interview with Celebrity Wire here). A final batch of images, an interview with the young cast, a 6 1/2-minute clip and a special clip are also included below.
Promotional stills [more at IGN]
6 1/2-minute clip [via HeyUGuys]
"Full Editing Room Video" (SPOILER: Includes a glimpse of the creature) [Yahoo! Movies]
TV spot: "It Arrives" [Yahoo! Movies]
Interview with Joel Courtney, Zach Mills, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Riley Griffiths [Hollyscoop / YouTube]
Official titles and release dates announced for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit
New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers and MGM have officially announced the titles and release dates for Peter Jackson’s two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s "The Hobbit". The first film, titled "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film, titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again", will be released on December 13, 2013:
"Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” The adventure of “The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug."
Previously, Jackson confirmed that Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins), Hugo Weaving (Elrond) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas) would be returning and more recently the director revealed that the White Council will and Dol Guldur will be freatured in the movies, offering the following details on his official Facebook page:
"I’m not going to say just what and when, but I will confirm that both the White Council and Dol Guldur will feature in the movies. And not just in one scene either. Just how to visualise it has been a challenge, but fortunately Alan Lee and John Howe went crazy with ideas, and it should look pretty cool."
In other casting news, Martin Freeman (Bilbo) revealed that his "Sherlock Holmes" co-star Benedict Cumberbatch will have a role in the films.
Disney hires new writer for Tron 3
As expected, Disney is moving forward with a sequel to Joseph Kosinski’s "Tron: Legacy". However, the studio has hired a new writer for the third film. Heat Vision | THR reports that David DiGilio will write the screenplay. "Tron: Legacy" writers Adam Horowitz and Adam Kitsis were originally set to return, but couldn’t write the project due to their involvement in the ABC fairy tale series "Once Upon a Time". It’s also not clear whether Joseph Kosinski will return to direct. The success or failure of the upcoming animated series "Tron Uprising" (premiering next year on Disney XD) will also play into Disney’s decision to greenlight the project.
Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion moving forward at Universal with Tom Cruise as the lead
Speaking of Kosinski, the director’s graphic novel adaptation of "Oblivion" has found a new home at Universal Pictures and Tom Cruise is attached to star. The film was originally set up at Disney, but the studio passed on it because they felt it didn’t fit with their brand. Karl Gajdusek is re-writing William Monahan’s script and the project will be rated PG-13.
First Look: Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises
Warner Brothers has launched the official website for Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight Rises" and with its launch also comes the start of the film’s viral marketing campaign. One of the first elements of the campaign is our first look at Tom Hardy as Bane. Click the image above to enlarge. More elements are sure to be released over the coming months and days before the film’s release. The third film in the Nolan franchise stars Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake), Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle / Catwoman), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Michael Caine (Alfred) and Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate). In new casting news, Variety reports that Matthew Modine, Tom Conti and Joey King have all been added to the movie. Modine’s character is a politician named Nixon who is a "key villain". No details are known about Conti and King’s characters. [Showbiz411]
In other news, Company Town | LA Times reports that the budget for the film is rumored to be "at least" $250M. As a way of comparison, 2005’s "Batman Begins" cost $150M and 2008’s "The Dark Knight" cost $185M. "The Dark Knight Rises" is scheduled to hit conventional and Imax theaters on July 20, 2012.
Set image [MovieWeb]
Terminator 5 to be Star Trek-style reboot? + Paul Walker to play Kyle Reese?
Despite the recent Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal, Terminator rights holder Megan Ellison — no studio is attached, although Universal is rumored to be in the running — still intends to release a fifth "Terminator" movie. What’s Playing reports that the project, which has Justin Lin attached as director, is still a go and the story does include Schwarzenegger’s character with Paul Walker rumored to be playing Kyle Reese:
From the sounds of things, the big guy does have a fairly substantial role in the new story – which is said to involve that original timeline being torn, again – but this Terminator would mostly be anchored by a new, younger male lead (Paul Walker’s name keeps coming up – could he possibly be Lin’s pick for Kyle Reese?).
What’s Playing also says the film will take the approach of J.J. Abrams’ "Star Trek" when it comes to how they use the original characters:
Oh, and I think that’s where the rumors of the ‘original cast returning’ come into play – though it’s not so much the original cast as it is ‘the original characters’ from the original movie. Geddit? Like J.J’s Star Trek. What may happen, I’m told, is the creative crew might lessen Schwarzenegger’s screentime in this movie, so it’s less work and less of a commitment for him and thus, it’ll be easier to talk the big guy into doing something this year – – as opposed to whatever year he feels he’s ready to return to acting.
Star Trek’s John Cho joins Total Recall remake
John Cho has joined the cast of Len Wiseman’s "Total Recall" remake. He’ll play McClane, described by Inside Movies | EW as "the smooth-talking rep for the mind-messing company that tempts Colin Farrell’s Douglas Quaid to implant fantastic memories into his brain." The film also stars Kate Beckinsale (Lori), Jessica Biel (Melina), Bryan Cranston (villain Vilos Cohaagen), Bill Nighy (resistance leader, Quatto) and Ethan Hawke will have a cameo. "Total Recall" is scheduled to hit theaters on August 2, 2012.
Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful set for March 2013
Disney has announced that Sam Raimi’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ prequel "Oz: The Great and Powerful" will be released on March 8, 2013. The film stars James Franco as circus magician / the Wizard and Mila Kunis as Theodora, with Michelle Williams in talks to play the good witch Glinda and Rachel Weisz in talks to play the witch Evanora. In other casting news, Deadline is reporting that Zach Braff is in final negotiations to join the film in the role of Frank, described as "the loyal but under-appreciated assistant to Oz (James Franco), a charismatic circus magician who is treated as a powerful wizard after his balloon blows off course into Oz and the townsfolk want him to eradicate a Wicked Witch and bring peace." Shooting on "Oz: The Great and Powerful" will begin in Michigan this July.
Joss Whedon directed after-credits scene in Thor + First set image for The Avengers
"Thor" co-star Stellan Skarsgard (Erik Selvig) revealed in an interview with Empire that the after-credits scene in Kenneth Branagh’s "Thor" was directed by "The Avengers" director Joss Whedon:
Skarsgard: “That was just a couple of months ago…I flew over there and went down into a basement, talked to Sam[uel L. Jackson] a couple of minutes and then went back home.”
Empire: “Was that with Ken Branagh?”
Skarsgard: “No that was with a director called Joss Whedon, who’s doing The Avengers.”
Now through its first month in release, "Thor" has grossed $429.2M worldwide as of June 9. The breakdown is $171.2M domestic (#4 2011 rank) and $258.0M foreign. The film’s biggest market outside of North America is United Kingdom ($22.8M) followed closely by star Chris Hemsworth’s (George Kirk in "Star Trek") native country Australia ($20.1M). In related news, Marvel announced this past April that production on "The Avengers" had begun in Alburquerque, New Mexico. Principal photography will continue in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City with a release set for May 4, 2012. Marvel also released the first image from the set which you can see below.
"The Avengers" Set image [Marvel.com]
The Hunger Games trilogy to be broken into four movies + First look at Katniss
Lionsgate will split up the popular Suzanne Collins’ novel trilogy "The Hunger Games" into four movies. The first adaptation, "The Hunger Games" will be released on March 23, 2012 and is directed by Gary Ross. Lionsgate is expected to follow-up ‘Hunger Games’ with books two ("Catching Fire") and three ("Mockingjay"). Here’s the official synopsis for "The Hunger Games":
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
The project stars Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Paula Malcomson (Mrs. Everdeen) and Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy). In related news, Lionsgate has been cranking out new cast announcements left and right. Here’s a round-up of the latest:
- Donald Sutherland will play President Snow. [Deadline]
- Elizabeth Banks will play the character Effie Trinket. [Heat Vision | THR]
- Stanley Tucci will play the role of Caesar Flickerman, the host of the Hunger Games: "Known for his outrageous appearance and buoyant personality, his upbeat interviews of the 24 tributes – a boy and a girl from each of the country’s 12 districts – are presented on every television in the nation"… [Lionsgate]
- …Starring alongside Tucci as host/narrator will be Toby Jones. [Deadline]
- Alexander Ldwig and Isabelle Fuhrman will play District 2’s Cato and Clove, respectively. [Heat Vision | THR]
- Singer Lenny Kravitz has joined the cast and will play the character Cinna. [Lionsgate]
- Latarsha Rose and Brooke Bundy, meanwhile, will play the characters Portia and Octavia. [Heat Vision | THR]
- Nelson Ascencio and Kimiko Gelman will play members of Katniss’ prep team. Ascensio will play Flavius and Gelman will play Venia. [Heat Vision | THR]
And lastly, here’s our first look at Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen [Entertainment Weekly]:
Disney considering director alternatives for Pirates 5 + ‘Pirates 4’ Box Office update
An offer has been out to "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" director Rob Marshall to direct a fifth ‘Pirates’ movie for some time now, but he’s been noncommital. Because of that, Cinema Blend reports that Disney has begun considering other alternatives should Marshall decline. Directors mentioned as possible replacements include Shawn Levy, Sam Raimi, Chris Weitz, Alfonso Cuaron and Tim Burton. Tim will tell.
This makes a good time to check it on the box office performance of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". The film has actually underperformed domestically — although it just crossed $200M domestic on Friday — $201.1M — but has more than made up for that decline in foreign markets where it has grossed more than three times as much ($614.9M) for a worldwide cume of an incredible $816.0M. While the fourth film won’t match its predecessors in domestic cume, it has/will exceed them in foreign gross. This is increasingly becoming an international franchise, with Domestic/Foreign breakdowns trending more Foreign with each movie:
- "Pirates of the Caribbean" (2003) – $348.9M foreign / $654.3M worldwide — 46.7% / 53.3%
- "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest" (2006) – $642.9M foreign / $1.1B worldwide — 39.7% / 60.3%
- "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" (2007) – $654.0M foreign / $963.4M worldwide — 32.1% / 67.9%
- "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) – $614.9M foreign / $816.0M worldwide — 24.6% / 75.4%
PREVIEW Videos & Images
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
First look [NYTimes]
The Adventures of Tintin
US and International posters [AICN & Empire]
Brave
First look [Disney Pixar France via /Film]
Captain America: The First Avenger
Promotional still [CineComics & more via CBR]
TV spot [YouTube]
Conan the Barbarian
Character posters [MTV & JoBlo]
More posters: ComingSoon | PopWrap | FirstShowing
Cowboys & Aliens
TV spot [YouTube]
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Domestic trailer [Yahoo! Movies]
International trailer [Empire]
Final Destination 5
Teaser poster [TrailerAddict]
Teaser trailer [TrailerAddict]
Fright Night
Promotional still [Shock Till You Drop]
Poster [IGN]
Trailer [IGN]
Clip [MTV]
Green Lantern
Trailer [Yahoo! Movies]
Sneak peek [YouTube]
TV spot [YouTube]
Interview with Michael Clarke Duncan + Clip of him as Kilowog [Blog of Oa | YouTube via ComingSoon.net]
Happy Feet 2
Poster [TrailerAddict]
Trailer [TrailerAddict]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Character posters [more at /Film]
Featurette: "The First" [TrailerAddict]
Extended TV spot [TrailerAddict]
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Trailer [Yahoo! Movies]
Featurette: "The Story Behind ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ " [YouTube]
Real Steel
Trailer [Yahoo! Movies]
International poster [HeyUGuys]
Shark Night 3D
Trailer [YouTube]
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
Poster [Moviefone]
Trailer [Yahoo! Movies]
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Promotional stills [more at YourEntNow]
Trailer [TrailerAddict]
TV spot [YouTube]
Clip [Twitvid]
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Promotional still [Collider]
Poster [YourEntNow]
Trailer [TrailerAddict]
MOVIE BITES
- Weinstein Company has pushed back their found footage sci-fi film "Apollo 18" one week from August 26, 2011 to September 2, 2011. Also, Sony has moved Neil Blomkamp’s "Elysium" from March 8, 2013 to March 1, 2013…
- …In other release date news, Lionsgate’s untitled "Sam Raimi Horror Project" has been brought up from January 6, 2012 to October 28, 2011 and New Line has pushed up "Final Destination 5" from August 26, 2011 to August 12, 2011. [Box Office Mojo]
- Paramount Pictures has hired Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost to direct "Paranormal Activity 3". ‘Activity’ director Oren Peli will return to produce, with ‘Paranormal 2’ writer Christopher B. Landon also returning to write the third film which is scheduled to release on October 21, 2011. [Variety]
- Lucasfilm Ltd. and 20th Century Fox have released complete details for the upcoming "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" Blu-ray set, which releases internationally beginning on September 12 and on September 16 in North America. Check out the press release here.
- Director Tom Six reveals that he wants to make a third, and final, "Human Centipede" movie. [Entertainment Weekly]
- Andrew Niccol will direct the big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s 2008 sci-fi novel "The Host" which has Saoirse Ronan attached to star. [Variety]
- Universal Pictures has pushed up Rupert Sanders’ "Snow White and the Huntsman" from December 21, 2012 to June 1, 2012. That would have pitted the project against Releativity Media’s similarly-themed "Snow White" which was set to release on June 29.. [Heat Vision | THR]
- …but just a week after Universal made their decision, Relativity pushed up the Tarsem Singh-directed project to March 16, 2012. It’s unlikely either film will shift again. [Deadline]
- Tim Burton is no longer attached to direct Disney’s live-action Sleeping Beauty film "Maleficent". Disney has begun an immediate search for a new director and David Yates is a rumored replacement. Disney is moving fast because Angelina Jolie is still attached to star and the project is being targeted for release in 2013. [Heat Vision | THR]
- David O. Russell is no longer attached to direct and write a big screen adaptation of the Sony video game "Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune". Russell left over creative differences. Sony is expected to move on to finding a new director and writer… [Variety]
- …In other departure news, Albert Hughes is now off of Warner Bros’ live-action "Akira" remake. WB expects to keep the film on the fast track and hopes to find a new director soon. [Deadline]
- Sam Neill says a fourth installment in the "Jurassic Park" franchise isn’t likely: "I think we’ve told the story. I think it’s done," he said. [MoviesBlog | MTV]
- Paramount Pictures has moved up Michael Bay’s "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" from Friday, July 1, 2011 to Wednesday, June 29, 2011… [Paramount Pictures]
- …The Transformers names for the Ferrari 458 Italia nd the Mercedez-Benz E550 in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" have been revealed. They are Dino (pronounced Dee-No) and Que (pronounced Q), respectively… [Shoot For The Edit, (2) via TLAMB]
- …Nelson, site adminstrator for Michael Bay’s official website, tweeted that "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" has completed production… [S4TE | Twitter]
-
…In related news, Shia Labouf says if there ends up being a fourth film, he won’t be back for it and doesn’t expect Bay to return either: "I’m not coming back to do another one. I don’t think Mike will either. It still is a hot property, I think, especially coming out of the third one. So I imagine they’ll reboot it at some point with someone else" [MTV]
- Director Justin Chu will reportedly not be shooting "G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes", as was originally expected. The project begins shooting this August in New Orleans for a August 12, 2012 release date. [Collider]
- Disney has shortened the title of Andrew Stanton’s sci-fi adventure "John Carter of Mars". The film is now called "John Carter". In related news, Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller "Now" has been re-titled "In Time". [Dark Horizons | Twitter]
- New Line Cinema and Legendary Pictures have announced that shooting has begun on Bryan Singer’s 3D "Jack the Giant Killer". The film is scheduled to hit theaters on June 15, 2012. [New Line Cinema & Legendary Pictures]
- Check out an interview with "Area 51", "Paranormal Activity 3", "The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes", "Lords of Salem" producer Jason Blum at Shock Till You Drop.
- Warner Brothers has picked up an untitled science fiction "space war film" from writer Aaron Guzikowski with Sam Worthington attached to star. [Deadline]
- Neville Page, the creature designer for "Star Trek", "Cloverfield", "Star Trek" and "Super 8", has been hired to work on Ridley Scott’s "Prometheus" (which was written by Star Trek’s Damon Lindelof). [AvP Galaxy via Shock Till You Drop]
- Warner Brothers is moving forward on development for a movie based on the DC Comics character "Hawkman". [It’s On The Grid]
- "Piranha 3DD" wrapped production on May 27. The film hits theaters on November 23, 2011. [StarNewsOnline via Shock Till You Drop]
- Universal has offered "Asteroids", a big screen adaptation of the 1979 Atari video game, to director Roland Emmerich. The script was written by Matt Lopez ("The Race to Witch Mountain"). Further details about the project have also been revealed. It reportedly is set after the destruction of Earth where the aliens have won and the last humans are living among aliens in far-away colonies in space within an asteriod belt: "The survivors were led to believe that this alien civilization was benevolent, rescuing them from doom, but ultimately discover that the aliens have engineered Earth’s destruction, and soon will do the same for the rest of humankind". [Vulture]
- Marti Nixon ("Fright Night", "I Am Number Four") has put in a script re-write on Lionsgate’s "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". [Tracking-Board.com via The Wrap]
- Check out an interview with "Candy Land" writers Jonathan Aibel And Glenn Berger at AICN.
- Shia Labeouf says a fifth "Indiana Jones" movie is closer than we think: "I talked to [Harrison Ford]…He said he’s staying in the gym, he said he’s heard no word, but he does know that [George Lucas] is out there looking for a MacGuffin. He said he’s staying in the gym, so it means [the movie is] not so far off.". [MoviesBlog | MTV]
- Without providing a date, Steven Spielberg has confirmed that a Blu-ray release of "Jaws" is on the way. Spielberg also said he won’t be making any changes to the movie: "I’m not going to do any corrections digitally to even wires that show". [AICN]
- "Fringe" writer-producer Brad Caleb Kane has been hired by 20th Century Fox to write the studios "Daredevil" remake. [Heat Vision | THR]
- Paramount Pictures has picked up Doug Liman’s space sci-fi film "Luna". The film centers on "renegade scientists who build a spaceship from spare parts to steal an energy source from the moon." [Variety]
-
Mark Romanek has confirmed that he was on the short list for "The Wolverine" — and was even sent and read the script — but he says he isn’t directing: " I was on their list, I received the script months ago. It didn’t seem like my kind of thing. That script was a terrific version of that kind of thing, but not something I felt really passionate about." [DigitalSpy]
-
Paramount Pictures has hired "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" scribes Josh Appelbaum and Andrew Nemec to write the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot. [Deadline]
-
There’s a report that Universal has decided to ditch a sequel to 2010’s "The Wolfman" and have instead rewritten Michale Tabb’s script to rework the movie into another reboot of the franchise. [Moviehole]
-
Warren Beatty says he wants to make a sequel to "Dick Tracy". [/Film]
-
Sony TriStar has set time-travel action thriller "Looper" for September 28, 2012 The film stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt and is directed by Rian Johnson. [Box Office Mojo]
-
20th Century Fox’s "X-Men: First Class" opened last weekend to an okay $55.1M. That’s slightly lower than expectations, and a great deal below what "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" opened to in 2009 ($85.1M). ‘First Class’ did better overseas, where it added $64M its first weekend. As of June 9 the film’s gross stands at $73.9M with a worldwide cume of $148.5M. [Box Office Mojo]
-
Head’s up to you Nintendo 3DS users out there: The 3D trailer for Warner Brothers’ "Green Lantern" is available to download on the device.
CASTING BITES
- Dwayne Johnson is in talks to play the character Roadblock in Justin Lin’s "G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes". Channing Tatum is also expected to reprise his role as Captain Duke Hauser. ‘Cobra Strikes’ has a August 10, 2012 release date. [Deadline]
- Gary Busey has joined the cast of "Piranha 3DD"… [Dimension Films]
- …Even bigger stunt casting: David Hasselhoff has been cast in the horror sequel as well. [Dimension Films]
- Chris Hemsworth is the frontrunner to star in Rupert Sanders’ "Snow White and the Huntsman"… [Deadline]
- …In related news, Sam Claflin will star as the prince in the film. "Snow White and the Huntsman" also stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as the evil queen. [Deadline]
- Relativity Media, meanwhile, has tapped Nathan Lane to play the main servant of the evil queen in their untitled "Snow White" project. That project, directed by Tarsem Singh, stars Julia Roberts as the evil queen, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer as the prince. [Heat Vision | THR]
- Shawn Levy wants his "Real Steel" star Hugh Jackman to play the lead role in the James Cameron-produced 3D remake "Fantastic Voyage". [Deadline]
- Rachel Weisz is in talks to play Evanora, the evil sister of Theodora (Mila Kunis) in Sam Raimi’s "Oz: The Great and Powerful". The film, set for release in 2013, stars James Franco as Oz. [Deadline]
- Charlie Hunnam is in talks to join the cast of Guillermo del Toro’s creature feature "Pacific Rim". The film is set in the future where "giant malevolent creatures threaten to destroy the earth, city by city". [Deadline]
- Jeff Bridges is now confirmed to be starring opposite Ryan Reynolds in Universal’s adaptation of the Dark Horse comic "R.I.P.D.". Bridges will play the role originally destined for Zach Galifiankis, a police officer in the Rest In Peace Department. [The Wrap]
- Alice Braga will star alongside Jodie Foster and Matt Damon in Neil Blomkamp’s "Elysium". [Deadline]
- …In related news, Diego Luna is in talks to join the project as well. They join Matt Damon, Sharlto Copley and Jodie Foster. Luna would play Julio, best friend of Damon’s character. [Variety]
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse has revealed that musician Lisa Loeb is his on-screen mom in Craig Gillespie’s "Fright Night" remake which stars Anton Yelchin (Star Trek’s Chekov). [MoviesBlog | MTV]
- "Twilight" author Stephanie Meyer will have a cameo during the wedding scene in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1". [Fangoria]
Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
T5? Dont bother- i think this franchise has seen better days!
There is so much reboot news in this article my head has exploded. And frankly none of it is good.
My first impression about Green Lantern… looks embarrassing… a little?!!
:-) :-)
Hopefully there will be more of the character ‘Tron’ in the next film then there was in Legacy.
I agree that TERMINATOR is done. How many times are they going to go back into the past and try to change the future? Arnold didn’t look the part in the last one. To put him in again now that he’s in his 60’s would be a joke unless he played a human scientist who was the model for the T-800 prototype (as they did in Alien 3 with Bishops creator).
Real Steel looks good, though. It has to beat yet another Transformers.
Green Lantern starting to look like a crap movie specially the so called special effects it almost seems like 2 different companies did them.
So the next big thing is live-adaptations of classic stories from our childhoods like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. One more thing for Hollywood to destroy. Do we REALLY need two Snow White movies from different companies with different actors airing just MONTHS apart from each other?
Also, I’m really getting sick of comic book movies. We have…one…two…three…FOUR movies (at least that I can remember) coming out this summer! Do we NEED that many? There should be no more than one-two every summer if there needs to be any, one from DC and one from Marvel. Now, if they’re good I”m all for that, but I remember reading in a review of Thor how good it was but how by the end of the summer audiences will be SICK of comic book movies and I agree. Its like they find a good thing, latch on to it and milk it until its so dry it dies of thirst. Its worst than Activision’s obsession with Call of Duty.
Watching Super 8 made me miss the originality of Hollywood. Now its all reboots, prequels, sequels and comic book movies, with trailers that tell you EVERYTHING you need to know MONTHS before the movie. I loved Super 8 because even though it had a great trailer, it was subtle enough that I didn’t know much going into it and was constantly guessing the entire movie. You can tell they wanted to go for something fresh and interesting that hadn’t been done in a long time and I loved it.
Compare that to the trailers before the movie – for instance, Transformers. Looks interesting, BUT the trailer showed pretty much every cool and important moment we’ll see in the movie, thus leaving no surprise for the audience! Same goes with Green Lantern. Not only that, but they have to release a dozen scenes online before the movie. Heaven forbid that audiences should go into the movie not knowing much about it.
I wish that the writers of “Terminator 5” would have just continued where “Terminator Salvation” left off. That was a good movie. Anton Yelchin and Sam Worthington were great in it. Plus, I’m not really interested in an old and fat Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to recapture past glory. He was great in the first three films. Time to move on.
“Transformers” 1 and 2 sucked big time, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the third.
“Green Lantern” looks cheesy. The CG suits look absolutely awful.
“Pirates Of The Carribbean: On Stranger Tides” sucked balls. Time to put the franchise to rest…….for good. Johnny Depp needs to move on.
Can’t wait for “The Dark Knight Rises”. No doubt that it will be good. Chris Nolan knows what he’s doing.
“Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes” looks totally unnecessary. Clunky and clumsy title too.
It’s pretty dumb how there is going to be three “Snow White” films coming out from three different studios in a short span.
Good to hear there won’t be a fourth “Jurassic Park”. Three is enough. Not much else they can do with it.
Really disappointed to hear that our taxpayer dollars were spent to have Library of Congress staff support the abomination Lincoln vampire movie trash.
9. Red Dead Ryan
Yeah RedDead. It’s been a while since I saw T4, but I do not recall seeing the time machine anywhere in the movie. I time machine was always central to the Terminator plotlines and would be a great “vehicle” for another continuing storyline.
It apparently worked well (for many here) in ST09.
I really don’t need to see the terminator series of movies rebooted. T1 and T2 cannot be improved on.
I agree. The pacing and editing were awesome in those flicks. Kudos, J.C.!
I cannot wait to see “Green Lantern!”
Heres hoping the tron cartoon does well on disney xd-a tron sequel is almost the only sequel i am interested in with this mess of unneeded reboots–any terminator without cameron attached sucks–i also LOVED super 8–jj knows what he is doing–great homage to the 70s spielberg,ce3k, and et, while still being an original coming of age story n a bem flick to boot–best acting kids since spielberg pre schindler-nice to know another director is good with kids–we also had our whole neighborhood involved in making super 8 movies back in the 60s-70 so very relatable to me–but i was surprised at how empty the theatre i went to was-nintendo 3ds–3d trailers for upcoming games like mario cart,super mario, etc look stunning-the 3d n graphics almost defy description—BUT-the green lantern 3d movie trailer not impressive-dark n murky not very 3d at all looked fakey 3d-plus the far away scenes everything looked too small to see n sound not loud enuf–watching movies in 3d maybe not so good on the 3ds—and their web browser still does not support flash sigh–actually the planet of the apes rising looks really big scale on the preview i saw at the movies–certainly an epic budget amount the original series never had-looked much better n more intelligent than the burton reboot–might just might be good–
If done right, T5 could be both prequel and sequel (like T4), since the future is the past for the characters who time travel in the first three films. I agree Arnold is too old, but who knows what the writers are up to – maybe they’ll make him an old scientist or different character.
Green Lantern is looking better and better with every new trailer that comes out.. but I still don’t know if I’ll see it. It looks somewhat epic, but I doubt the story is strong.
Pirates 5 and Transformers 3 are on my list to see, but I don’t know what to expect for Pirates 5. Transformers 1 was amazing, Transformers 2 was ok but nothing special, and I’m hoping Transformers 3 will be a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
Harry Potter 7 and Dark Knight Rises both look promising. Same for Super 8. High hopes for Star Trek 2, but it’s taking FOREVER to hear any real news on that.. how about a title announcement soon?
As a fan of the Green Lantern comic book for over 20 years, I’m really excited about the movie and am a little bit surprised by all the negative comments. GL is very much a space-bound, sci-fi title with aliens that are truly alien in their look (not humans in jumpsuits with latex appliances on their foreheads). I’m amazed at how much of the comic book has been translated to the film and still remains recognizable. Given the scale, scope and variety of characters and locations, not to mention the central conceit that a Green Lantern creates constructs from his imagination, CG is really the only way to go in a film like this and if it doesn’t always look particularly realistic, I view that, much like the comic, as part of its charm. A lot of the characters and situations in Star Wars looked a little cheesy but seen within the context of the films they still worked. Don’t see why Green Lantern can’t accomplish the same thing. I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve actually seen it but to this longtime fan, based on what I’ve seen so far, it looks like the spirit of the comic book has survived the translation to film and that’s the most important thing.
Paul Walker as Kyle Reese? UUGGGGHHHHHH
TonyD I also am a comix fan of GL…When I was under 10 I read dc comix like superman jla etc…around 10 I discovered Spiderman and marvel comics and ff….after that the only dc comics i got were Green Lantern and any Kirby Fourth World comic….the gl origin story if they stick close to it in the movie is a good origin story…not a great one but few are…..
Also I always thought Green Lantern was a semi rip off of EE DOC SMITHS LENSMAN series….alien benefactors on a hidden world give those who deserve it lens on their wrists making them police of the universe sound familiar? heheheh oh well….
Now my fave green lantern/green arrow comics were the socially relevant ones in teh late 60s….good observational stuff if a little heavy handed preachy sometimes it was still the only comic that dared to do that…show reality….sounds like jjs super 8 got 35 million over the weekend not bad for a little big movie….it deserves to be a blockbuster..its great…
Thrilled to see Benedict Cumberbatch will be in the Hobbit movies, he’s an excellent actor. Too bad it’ll probably be a cameo.
Why would anyone want to cast Paul Walker in anything?
wow it’s about god damn time we got some movie updates.
i thought terminator salvation was already a reboot and complete reimagining of the series. it was nothing like the first three and i thought it was awesome. especially with christian bale as john conner and anton yelchin as kyle reese. a fifth movie should continue after salvation left off. that’s a no brainer. it took 20 years to get a movie about the future war and now they want to go back to the same time travel formula that has already been run completely into the ground.
Browncoat…a Spielberg homage made you miss the originality of Hollywood? Seriously?
While T5 may not be necessary, Megan Ellison’s also been responsible for some pretty quality stuff.
And while Green Lantern doesn’t look particularly compelling, Martin Campbell’s made some pretty quality action movies, so I’m willing to give it a shot.
Happy Feet 2?!?! God no…
Only stuff here that is of interest is The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Brave, and some others…
I can already tell which ones will flop *cough*spy kids 4*cough*
Have to disagree regarding arnold, He is in great shape and can pull it off. The only thing that could make it better is if james cameron directs it. Todays 60 year olds are different than yesterdays. case in point? Harrison Ford.
wishing that final destinationwould introduce “death” as a visable character..years back I was thinking that”Christopher Lee” would be great for the role..How fitting and honorable.
Shark night isn’t jaws V..Thank God..But if loraine gary wants to be in it? Okay!
“Shawn Levy, Sam Raimi, Chris Weitz, Alfonso Cuaron and Tim Burton. Tim will tell.”
So Shawn, Sam, Chris and Alfonso aren’t talking?
“Gary Busey has joined the cast of “Piranha 3DD.'”
Who can blame him? Those sound like pretty buxom fish.
I am glad to see the hobbit is moving along well :) Great article Rosario!
I though Joseph Gordon-Levitt might play the joker in the future. He does look like a young Heath Ledger.
Great round-up as usual, Rosario!
Great round-up as usual, Rosario!
Wow, look at all of the “Reboot” movies in the works.
Has all of the original ideas been used?
Are there only remakes?