With the huge opening of "Iron Man," the summer 08 movie season has started. So there isn’t a lot of movie news, but there are lots of new posters, pics and vids, including Indy 4, Dark Knight, Hulk, Wall-E, and Land of the Lost. Plus there’s also TV news from Smallville, Reaper, and more.
Iron Man’s $100M Weekend + Iron Man 2 in 2010?
According to estimates, "Iron Man" has raked in $38 million from its Thursday and Friday receipts and the film is on track for a possible $100M+ opening weekend. That’s very good news for Paramount, who at the Hollywood premiere of the film implied that as long as the movie does well, a second one will release in 2010. That piece of news was confirmed in an article at THR about the future of Marvel, which includes quotes from Marvel president of Production Kevin Feige and director Jon Favreau: "We’re not going to risk our characters by rushing them," Feige said. When asked about the timing of an ‘Iron Man" sequel, he added that "two or three years is the proper time between movies." Favreau added, "I’d do number two in a heartbeat." And while we’re talking "Iron Man", be sure to stay after the end credits for an awesome bonus scene. And for those who’ve already seen it, what did you think? Where does it rank on your superhero movie list? Does it live up to being the best reviewed film of 2008?
Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard and Jon Favreau Unscripted–full interview can be viewed here)
MOVIES NEWS
Guillermo del Toro on The Hobbit, McKellen Confirms Gandalf’s Return
Now that he’s officially attached to the project, Del Toro spoke for the first time publicly about "The Hobbit" and its sequel. The director told TheOneRing.net that the real excitement will come from doing the second film: " ‘The Hobbit’, the book, is really one self-contained film, so for the second movie we sat down and worked it out. When we did this we got really excited because this second film is not a ‘tag on’, it’s not ‘filler’, it’s an integral part of telling the story of those 50 years of history lost in the narrative." He also said that Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are all but aboard the project. McKellen confirmed he was on board in an interview with Empire. And in a separate discussion with MTV, the director said he has no intention of recasting any of the characters: "I want to be very clear about this. I am not going to recast any actor that is willing and able to work with us. It would be my hope to bring back the same actors to play the parts. The casting on the trilogy was perfect."
Bonaventura talks G.I. Joe
"G.I. Joe" executive producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura sat down for an extensive interview with Collider. Highlights are below and you can check out the full two-page interview here:
- The film will be rated PG-13
- Stephen Sommers as the director: "He’s just… his enthusiasm, his excitement, his sense of adventure, his embracing of the mythology, his understanding of the characters."
- The film’s tone: "I guess it’s definitely a comic book movie and it’s definitely has a great sense of humor, so there’s a lot of humor and a lot of drama and a lot of action."
Hugh Jackman Names Batman Begins As Inspiration for ‘Wolverine’ Film
Hugh Jackman told MTV Movies Blog that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" "feels different" and places the film "more in the ‘Batman Begins’ sort of realm". Jackman also revealed that he is wide open to doing more films: "There are two conditions for me doing any more: One is will anybody want to see it, and the second is: Will I still have the passion for it?" he explained. "I really wanted to do this spin-off movie, because I felt we hadn’t truly found who this character was."
NEW IMAGES
Twilight
Babylon A.D.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (more here)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (click to purchase image–more here)
The Incredible Hulk (more here)
The Dark Knight (more here)
Land of the Lost
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
War Games: The Dead Code (cover art)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Hellboy action figure–more views here)
Stargate Continuum (more here)
NEW VIDEOS
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crytstal Skull" (Theatrical Trailer 2) [HD version]
"Star Wars" Deal or No Deal
Star Wars Ewok Gospel (fan made)
The Happening
Babylon A.D. (HD here)
TEASER BABYLON AD
envoyé par STUDIOCANAL_DISTRIBUTION
The Incredible Hulk
Stargate Continuum (teaser trailer)
WALL•E (WALL•E vs. a Hula Hoop)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (TV Spot)
Speed Racer (three minutes of footage)
Speed Racer ("Go Speed Racer Go" Music Video)
Hancock
The Gremlins (BT Business Advertisement featuring 80s movie monsters The Gremlins)
Iron Man (behind-the-scenes clips–more here)
The Dark Knight ("Jokerized" Trailer)
MOVIES BITES
- "Chuck" creator Josh Schwartz told Black Book Magazine that he’s currently working on a screenplay for the next "X-Men" film which will be a prequel/spin-off centering on the other teenage characters attending the Xavier Institute.
- Michael Bay will be filming several scenes for "Transformers 2" at the University of Pennsylvania. [/Film]
- Starship Trooper 3: Marauder, which co-stars "Enterprise" vet Jolene Blalock releases on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on July 29th.
- Remember that special edition of "Dark City" we reported on in an earlier edition of Sci-Fi Saturday? Well, it’s been dated. The new 111 minute director’s cut (the original film ran 96 minutes) releases on both DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on July 29th. [RopeofSilcon]
- The first trailer for the December 12th film "Twilight", which is getting tons of buzz, will be attached to select screenings of "Speed Racer". [Collider]
- Michael Giacchino’s full length end credits overture from the J.J. Abrams produced monster film "Cloverfield" is now available to listen to on iTunes. The track runs 12:15.
- A 1981 letter by J.D. Salinger which features a mini-review of "Raiders of the Lost Arc" sold on eBay for $2,250.
- The second trailer for "The Dark Knight" is expected to be released on Sunday.
- David Silverman, Long time director/executive producer of "The Simpsons", has signed on to direct the live action family sci-fi adventure "The Pet". [THR]
CASTING BITES
- The original kid stars of Disney’s 1970s "Witch Mountain" movies, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, are returning for "Race to Witch Mountain" in cameo roles. Richards will play a waitress, while Eisenmann will play a sheriff. [THR]
- "Transformers 2" has added two new castmembers: Teresa Palmer (who was suppose to play Talia al Ghul in the now defunct "JLA" movie) and Judd Apatow regular Jonah Hill is in talks for a role. Palmer’s role is unknown, but Hill will likely play the role of Sam’s college roommate Chuck.
- "The Chronicles of Narnia" star William Moseley tells MTV that he was once up for the role of Harry Potter, but that according to him he didn’t "fit the bill".
Harry Potter?
TV NEWS
Michael Rosenbaum Exits Smallville, Series Makes Way for New Villains
The CW has made it official, Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luther) is departing "Smallville". The joint announcement was made by the actor, the network and the series’ producers: "I hope that I gave you some enjoyment over the years, and that you found my portrayal of Lex Luthor to be satisfying. I am truly grateful, as Smallville fans are the best fans out there." The network also revealed two new villains for the upcoming eighth season: Doomsday and a female antagonist who will "challenge Clark in ways never before imagined." You can read the full statement from Rosenbaum, and the season eight villain details here.
Sci-Fi Nabs 17 Spots on Empire’s Top 50 TV Shows of All Time, Including Three Star Trek Series
Empire Online put together a list of their top 50 TV shows of all time and in addition to three "Star Trek" series, 14 other Sci-Fi shows made the cut:
- #50: "Quantum Leap", #47: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, #45: Farscape, #43: Star Trek, #40: Life on Mars, #37: Star Trek: The Next Generation, #32: Babylon 5, #26: Red Dwarf, #25: Futurama, #21: Angel, #16: Doctor Who (2005), #15: Heroes, #14: Firefly, #13: Battlestar Galactica, #9: The X-Files, #5: Lost and #2: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fans of On the Bubble Reaper Sending in Socks
Here comes another Save our Show campaign. After being placed on the bubble by the LA Times, Bret Harrison is encouraging fans to send in socks, in addition to the usual outpouring of phone calls, e-mails and letters, to the network. "We’re not suggesting a Jericho-like barrage of peanuts to be sent to the CW offices, but perhaps a Jericho-like barrage of peanuts sent to the CW offices would do the trick. Only instead of peanuts (also hackneyed) how about something a little more original and a lot more appropriate for the show. We’re thinking… socks!" [bretharrison.com]
Warner Bros. Revives The WB Online
Do you still miss "Buffy" and "Roswell"? Well here’s some good news. The WB network is returning, but its re-launch will occur in online form at TheWB.com (launching in August). The online site will contain several Sci-Fi series that were created on The WB channel or produced by Warner Bros. Television. The programming will be ad-supported, and new content will also be created exclusively for the site. A similar site geared towards kids (KidsWB.com) is already active. [TV Week]
Sackhoff Loses Out on "CSI" Role
Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica" was close to transitioning from the series to "CSI", but the suits at CBS saw it differently. TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello reports that while the actress won over executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankrar to take over Jorja Fox’s role on the hit CBS procedural, but after seeing Sackhoff read the part for the new character (Bryce), executives at both CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer Television were unconvinced they found their new character.
TV BITES
- A "Lost" vs. "Battlestar Galactica" matchup at SFGate got us thinking. Just which show is better?
SCI-FI RATINGS
| Top 10 SF&F Broadcast Shows | HH Rating/Share |
| 1) Medium | 7.0/11 |
| 2) Eli Stone (4/13/2008) | 5.9/10 |
| 3) Ghost Whisperer | 5.3/10 |
| 4) New Amsterdam | 4.6/7 |
| 5) Eli Stone (4/10/2008) | 4.0/7 |
| 6) Smallville (R) | 1.4/2 |
| 7) Reaper (R) | 1.1/2 (1.71M) |
| 8) Supenatural (R) | 1.1/2 (1.47M) |
4/7/2008 to
4/13/2008 – Source: Nielsen Media Research
| Top 10 SF&F Syndicated Shows | Rating |
| 1) Dead Zone |
0.8 |
| 1) Stargate SG-1 |
0.8 |
| 1) Star Trek | 0.8 |
| 1) Stargate Atlantis |
0.5 |
4/7/2008 to
4/13/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
| Top 10 SCI FI CHANNEL Shows | Rating |
| 1) Ghost Hunters | 1.9 |
| 2) Battlestar Galactica | 1.4 |
| 3) ECW |
1.3 |
| 4) Odysseus | 1.2 |
| 5) Dragon Sword |
0.8 |
| 6) King of the Lost World |
0.8 |
| 7) Destination Truth | 0.8 |
| 8) Ogre | 0.8 |
| 9) Dinotopia, Part Three |
0.8 |
| 10) Watchers Reborn |
0.7 |
4/7/2008 to 4/13/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
FIRST!!!
Land of the Lost looks great from the pic! I am glad they didn’t change the look of the Sleestaks!
Still not sure about this one…comedy or serious film with comedic elements? Wil Farrell has never made a serious film, yet Land of the Lost was not a comedy or even tongue-in-cheek.
I always thought it was material worthy of a serious big budget film.
how could ghost hunters possibly beat out bsg?!?
Land of the last was best series that Sid and Marty Croft came up with. I to like the fact that they did not re imagine the Sleestaks. I think that Will Farrell and company will be able to pull off a good movie. Yeah it will most likely be comedy but see Will Farrel play the adventurer that should be most interesting. I would have preferred him to play it seriously because i think he could a serious role real well. Iron man is on my must see movies and Indiana Jones O Yeah fun stuff! . Star gate Continuum also looks good as does Babylon AD. But with regard to Speed Racer, Sorry that one just doesn’t work for me.
Rosario this is always such a terrific column. I learn so very much at one sitting. Thanks much for your efforts.
Rosario:
There is no mention of the original Bilbo (Ian Holm). Is he in as Bilbo? Am thrilled that the originals Gandalf and Gollum are in. Am as psyched for this one as I am for Trek XI. WOO HOO!!
Excellent article and tons of great pics!! Thanks for the effort!!
kg
I really think UK ads really rock something, specially in geek mode. Annoyed I lost my copy of Shatner and Doohan advertising Southern Electricity to an expired domain and a crashed hard drive. (“Capain’ I haven’t got the power!!!!”)
I’m gonna go watch Iron Man.
Can’t wait for a trailer for GIJONES …
TDK looks like its going to kick ass.
By looking at that one image, I realize The Hulk must take HUGE craps. I’d hate to be in same mens room. Hulk Smash that.
The Dark Knight Trailer looks awesome! JJ needs to take a leaf out of WB’s books in promoting Star Trek!!!
“Iron Man” is the BEST superhero movie I’ve seen thus far. It was expertly crafted, well-paced, and masterfully acted…it perfectly balanced drama and action into what I think is the best film of 2008 (possibly even 2007). After a slew of disappointments, seeing “Iron Man” was truly fulfilling!!
AND STAY UNTIL AFTER THE CREDITS!!!!
“Iron Man” was excellent!! I highly recommend it. :D
This is the first time I’ve heard of there being a ‘sequel’ to the Hobbit, and the idea unsettles me for some reason… am I the only one?
Ike Eisenmann of “Witch Mountain” later played Cadet Peter Preston in “Star Trek II”, by the way.
Loved Iron Man… I thought RD Jr was excellent, but he oozes cool most of the time anyway.
Really nicely underplayed, and pretty much all the cast were solid.
I did, however, skip out when the credits rolled… doh! Oh well.
The big surprise of the night was the trailer for Hancock… even my girl (who was only along to see Iron Man because it was my birthday and I insisted) said she’d need to see that.
Speed Racer looks rubbish though, but then I’m very old (er)…. :-)
Great round up Rosario, thanks very much.
I liked “Iron Man”, didn’t sit through the credits, though. What was the added scene? (The middle act of “Iron Man” rocked, but the beginning was a bit draggy and the ending devolved into the ridiculous. The cast was excellent and the effects were very good until the climax, where it took on a phoney-baloney “Spider-man” look.)
Not sure about “Twilight”, I’m really sick and tired of vampire stories. If Hollywood absolutely must go to the Vampire Well once again, I’d rather see a reunion movie for “Buffy”.
“The Hulk” actually looks pretty good, which is surprising considering how bad the original was. I liked the nod to the Bixby/Ferrigno series in the music.
“The Happening” looks good too, if Shyamalan can come up with a finale for the movie worthy of all the setup (he generally failed to do that with “The Village” and especially “Lady in the Water”.)
WTF is up with that Empire’s Top 50 TV Shows of All Time?? That is the stupidest list I have ever seen.
Iron Man really was awesome, can’t wait to see it again. It definitely lives up to being the best reviewed film this year. And the scene after the credits with Samuel L. Jackson made the comic book geek in me cheer out loud.
Jon Favreau: Bring on the sequel!
Glad to hear McKellen & Serkis are back for The Hobbit. Also, is it just me, or does that “Go Speed Racer Go” music video basically show the entire Speed Racer movie?
Awesome film, and all because of Downey.
The Happening ,well if recent history is any indication. This movie will probably sink like a tone at the box office. He had one really good film The Sixth Sense, an alright film in Unbreakable. the rest were just plain bad. Lady in the Water A Grass Wolf? I think some weed killer would put a stop to that one. ihe’s is incredibly good at creating a creepy atmosphere in his movie. The problem is that lately he can’t create a viable story to go with the atmosphere. If they ever did a movie version of WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON’S 1907 Horror novel Classic THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND , M Night Shyamalan would be the perfect director for it
Err, Doomsday? The shark has just been jumped.
Iron Man was AWESOME. I feel like an idiot for not staying to see Fury.
The Ewok gospel is great! Preach it Billy Dee!
I’m counting the minutes until The Dark Knight.
Also, why not anything on Barry Allen coming back to life in Final Crisis? That’s pretty big news, it was on both the New York Times and Daily News websites. You should put little comic blurbs in these articles.
I wonder if anyone is thinking of a Star Blazers live action film…
The Sleezaks (or whatever they’re called) used to scare the jeepers out of me as a kid.
I saw Iron Man last night. One of the best of the latter superhero movie. I’d put it up there with Batman Returns and definitely better than any of the Spider Man movies. The cast was terrific and Robert Downey is made to play Tony Stark. A really entertaining flick, and the Indiana Jones trailer wasn’t half-bad either.
I don’t suppose someone can explain Hancock to me? Is that a comic, or just something someone made up for a movie?
I’m getting old :(
I saw Iron Man and it was AWESOME. Definitely the best superhero movie ever. it was dramatic, funny, great action/SFX, and great acting and chemistry between the cast. LOL – Jeff Bridges made a better Lex Luthor than any of the parade of actors who’ve actually played LL during all the Superman movies and TV series’! I didn’t stay after the credits and missed the “surprise”. But, I liked the movie so much, I’ll probably see it again – it looks fantastic on the big screen.
The roaring dinosoar at the end of the open credit on Land of the Lost used to scare the crap out of my older brother. My favorite part was when they all went “Ahhhhhhh!!” as they went down the waterfall. I also get chills down my spine when I see new Indiana Jones trailers. Why do we have to wait a friggin year for the new Trek?
My problem with “Iron Man” is the last act. Can someone explain to me why Bridges wanted Stark killed in the first place? Stark, the man who is basically single-handedly the brain trust of Stark Industries (the other company engineers couldn’t even figure out Stark’s work, remember.) And just how did Bridges learn how to use that Iron Suit? It took Stark a lot of trial and error, but Bridges just climbs in and, “bring it on, Stark!”. Yeah, right. And what was the point of the arc reactor blast thing? To kill Bridges, was that supposed to kill everyone nearby or what? If so, how did Stark and Pepper survive? If not, then what was the point?
I liked “Iron Man”, but the internally illogical story prevents it from being the best. “Spider-Man 1” and “Batman Begins” still eclipse it by quite a wide margin. But its a whole lot better than “Ghost Rider”, “Daredevil”, “Hulk”, or the “Fantastic Four” movies.
Yes, I’m very glad about the nod to Bixby in the Hulk movie. That makes me very happy. He seemed like such a great guy, watching him in the “Courtship of Eddie’s Father” long before Hulk . That was what hooked me on him. I always wanted a Dad like that. He was fun to watch in “My Favorite Martian” too.
Really looking forward to Iron Man tomorrow. Very enthused by what I’ve heard. I knew it’d be special from what I gleaned at Comic Con last summer. Wow. Is it almost summer again?
As much as I love this “Mini-Series” trend that seems to be cropping up, some movies need to stay at one, and one only. Fantastic Four was one of them. “Hulk” is also one of them. “Shrek” is becoming one of them. The “Pirates” series should stay at 3. We need to see another Jurassic Park, though.
There comes a point when a movie series just needs to die.
Trek is not one of these. Trek has gone through 10 movies total, and 7 of them with great success. 6 for those of you who don’t count Insurrection.
Can’t wait to see Wall-E. It kind of reminds me of R2-D2, but nicer. R2 can be a real jerk at times. He’s also arrogant and rude and does whatever he feels like, despite the possible consequences.But he sure makes one hell of a mechanic. I believe I also just described B’Ellana Torres.
Hmm… when we have holodeck technology, someone needs to remake Jurassic Park. That would be the world’s best workout program.
[spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler IRON MAN spoiler spoiler]
#26: There was a line midway through the movie that – for me at least – contained the entire summary of why Stark had been marked for death. Stark made reference to the lines that Stark Industries doesn’t cross (when questioning Stane about the double-dealing), and in context it seemed pretty clear that for Stane to grow the company in the way he wanted (more illegal arms deals), for the purposes he wanted (more money, and the ability to manipulate the global power balance) Stark was an obstacle that he needed to remove.
Favorite geek-reference for me wasn’t the SHIELD stuff (though that was awesome), it was when Stane remarked “We’re iron mongers.” Ha! :)
#15
I’m with you, Izbot. That list is complete craptitude.
What’s so crappy about the Top 50 list? That Trek doesn’t top it?
Iron Man was incredible. ‘Nuff said.
26 – Iron Man was a good fun time at the movies. I agree with your points, but I tried not to think too hard when watching it. I think Stark’s change of heart (ahem) was a threat to Stane and his views of how Stark Industries should be run, and he did not appear to be a subtle kind of guy in terms of dealing with professional differences >;>}. I do like how Stark ended the final press conference. (But it does open Stark up for some potential lawsuits: I think he’ll buy that family a new minivan, and the city a new bus. I am glad I didn’t think too hard about this!)
With that and the extra scene, sequel, sequel, sequel!
#6 – About the Shatner/Doohan power commercial: is this it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLYAZO4dt6s
Wow, I never realized what a great looking couple Mulder and Scully make! Can’t wait for that one!
And thank you, #29. S. John Ross, for the spoiler warning! Much appreciated! :))
#34 Your a god ( not THE god ) … Powergen, that was it. I remember watching ITV for hours with VCRing each ad break till I found it … Always though the added effects to TWOK worked really well … hi-de-hi!
Too bad “Land of the Lost” is going to take the comedy route with Will Ferrell…I just can’t stomac him.
#37 Though I would love to have seen Will Ferrel do a serious take instead of comedic , I think that Land of the Lost will still be worth seeing. If its a fun escapist adventure movie, that would be fine.
I saw Iron Man twice this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. For my money, it’s the best Marvel Comics adaptation to date (yes, even better than Spiderman). It strikes a great balance of drama and humor, the armors are amazing, it has some awesome action scenes, the cast is wonderful and it is utterly devoid of those cringe-inducing moments that mar so many of these films (like the infamous nightclub scene from Spiderman 3). The scene after the credits is a hoot and hints at much bigger things in the future.
I caught the second showing at a digital DLP theater and the picture and sound quality were markedly improved over traditional film projection theaters.
When is the fan made article coming out? Just say stp2 night is 1969 and I definetly have some comments to make.
CD… “I think Stark’s change of heart (ahem) was a threat to Stane and his views of how Stark Industries should be run, and he did not appear to be a subtle kind of guy in terms of dealing with professional differences”
No, that doesn’t work as an explanation, because the attempt to kill Stark came long before Stark’s change of heart. Others have said Stane was trying to take Stark Industries more into the illegal weapon sales area that he knew Stark would try to stop, but this does not come across very well in the movie at all. (Until his kidnapping, Stark is shown to be a totally unapologetic weapons builder.)
We want the Spielberg remake “When Worlds Collide!”
(grin)
Incidentally, I am attempting to write a prequel to the novel…
Iron Man was great fun. THanks to sharp writing and great delivery by Downey this is a super hero I look forward to seeing a lot more of.
SciFiMetalGirl#35- I reach you on the Mulder/Scully pics – very nice, very nice indeed. I would like a poster blowup of the middle picture to put on a wall with the words “I Want To Believe” written boldly at the bottom. Eagerly anticipating the movie.
Saw Iron Man last night….. absolute poo!! good story… rubbish film! hope the sequal is alot better!!!
I sent this tip by e-mail but on other Smallville news, Robert Picardo will be appearing in the last two episodes of Season 7 (“Quest”-May 8 and “Arctic”-May 15). He can be seen in the trailer for “Quest” and his appearance has been confirmed by Kryptonsite and RobertPicardo.com Speculation is that he will be playing the last remaining member of the Veritas group (if you have watched last few episodes, you will know what I am talking about).
David
Saw Speed Racer yesterday. I don’t know what the target audience is for this thing, but dang, it didn’t do anything for me.
I saw Iron Man yesterday evening, and it was a nice movie. I recommend it.
I did not see the secret ending after the credits. Drat!
Iron Man was good, Make shure you stay tell after the credits because that one scean is cool!
Thanks for the kind thoughts and comments everyone, I really appreciate them.
I saw “Iron Man’ last night and was thoroughly entertained. Downey Jr. was perfect for the role. Loved the nice mixture of laughs and action. I also liked the fact that, as TonyD mentioned above, there were no cringe-inducing moments. For whatever reason, some good action films are brought down by those moments, and thankfully there were none of them in “Iron Man”.
Best superhero movie I’ve seen in a long time. The clip after the end credits was quite nice too. Definitely worth the wait.
Looking forward to the sequel.